Flow

The following is pasted from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_%28psychology%29

"Flow is the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing, characterized by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. Proposed by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the concept has been widely referenced across a variety of fields.

Many other terms and idioms exist for this mental state: to be on the ball, in the zone, in the groove.

As Csikszentmihalyi sees it, components of an experience of flow can be specifically enumerated; he presents the following:

1. Clear goals (expectations and rules are discernible and goals are attainable and align appropriately with one's skill set and abilities).
2. Concentrating and focusing, a high degree of concentration on a limited field of attention (a person engaged in the activity will have the opportunity to focus and to delve deeply into it).
3. A loss of the feeling of self-consciousness, the merging of action and awareness.
4. Distorted sense of time - one's subjective experience of time is altered.
5. Direct and immediate feedback (successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed).
6. Balance between ability level and challenge (the activity is neither too easy nor too difficult).
7. A sense of personal control over the situation or activity.
8. The activity is intrinsically rewarding, so there is an effortlessness of action.
9. When in the flow state, people become absorbed in their activity, and focus of awareness is narrowed down to the activity itself, action awareness merging (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975. p.72).

Not all are needed for flow to be experienced."

Achieving flow in my life is a constant goal.  When I am adjusting patients, on the golf course, communicating with my family, or even playing a good game of chess, flow is what it's all about.

To me, flow equals joy.

And the antithesis of flow is that merging point where lack of a challenge meets poor aptitude.  This, repeated over and over, equates to a life of apathy.

Those that seek out the easy roads in life may come to know fun and pleasure, but they will never know of flow.