Subtitled: The psychology of optimal experience
When I picked up Flow, I thought I knew what I was in for: a book about creativity. I mean I studied the flow state for years as part of my earlier creative direction career.
So I thought reading this classic would be a great way to revisit the core flow principles…. what I didn’t expect? How deep it goes into purpose, meaning, and the stuff that makes life worth living.
But let’s back up a moment – what IS flow exactly?
Flow is that sweet spot where your skills match the challenge at hand. You’re fully immersed. Time disappears. Your inner critic takes a nap.
To get into flow, you generally need:
- A clear goal
- Immediate feedback
- Full focus
- The right level of challenge (not so easy you’re bored, not so hard you’re panicking)
For 25 of my creative director years, I absolutely LIVED in flow…. until I didn’t. My creative work felt like it was on life support. I dreaded projects I once craved. But in the process of losing and then rediscovering my flow state …. I learned so much about myself….. and how I love to work. And then this became a talk at a regional Ad Fed conference – from creative director to coaching – it’s been a wild ride!
It’s also wild to see how finding flow relates to so many aspects of our work… and our lives….
Mihaly (MEE-hay) writes about finding flow in our marriages, our community service even and you can bet it also applies to our communications.
When we stay curious about our environment (in this case – what matters to our audience), read the room, and accept constraints…. not as walls, but as obstacles you get to creatively work around…. that’s when the lines of communication can really open up.
One of Mihaly’s big lessons: Pleasure is fleeting—it’s easy, comfortable—but enjoyment goes deeper. It’s rooted in challenge and growth, even if it’s not always comfortable in the moment. That’s the difference between padding your ego and leaning into something meaningful.
Here’s a quote from page 68:
“Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide feedback to the person’s skills, it usually begins to be intrinsically rewarding.”
This echoes the autotelic mindset—finding reward in the process itself, rather than external validation. And this is exactly why giving in to the polish and performance mindset of most communication hacks can go so wrong. Leaning into our internal drive, leaning into our presence is way more powerful.
So, if your ideas feel lost in a sea of polish, maybe it’s not a “better pitch” they need—it’s more flow. And more you.
Give Flow a read and then let me know what YOUR top takeaways are!
