“When adversity threatens to paralyze us, we need to reassert control by finding a new direction in which to invest psychic energy, a direction that lies outside the reach of external forces. When every aspiration is frustrated, a person must seek a meaningful goal around which to organize the self.” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi from Flow ------------------------------------------------------------ Csikszentmihalyi tells the remarkable stories of how prisoners of war endured solitary confinement by creating elaborate goals in their heads (from memorizing poetry to playing virtual golf in their minds) to reassert control of their consciousness in the face of incredible adversity. As he says, the more stressful the external circumstances, the more important it is we put our attention on goals we can move toward. How about you? Are situations in your outside world a bit out of your control? What goals can you create to align your psychic energy in a positive direction? Time to get in shape to run a 10k or a marathon or a triathlon? Or maybe write the book or the business plan or take the art class or read the books on your shelf? .............................................................. Whatever it is, let’s remember: “Of all the virtues we can learn no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.” ................................................................. by Brian Johnson
Posted on: Sat, 12 Jul 2014 05:49:49 +0000
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