The germ of an idea doesn't make the sculpture that stands up... so the next stage is hard work
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
Pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there
Interpretation
What this quote means
Pain and pleasure are experiences that depend on our awareness and perception.
This quote by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi emphasizes that both pain and pleasure are subjective experiences that happen within our consciousness. They are not inherent qualities of the external world but are instead defined by how we perceive and engage with our experiences, highlighting the importance of awareness in shaping our emotional realities.
Themes
PainPleasureConsciousnessPerceptionExperience
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mindfulness, one could say, 'As Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi said, pain and pleasure occur in consciousness and exist only there, reminding us to be aware of our feelings.'
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To know oneself is the first step toward making flow a part of one's entire life. But just as there is no free lunch in the material economy, nothing comes free in the psychic one. If one is not willing to invest psychic energy in the internal reality of consciousness, and instead squanders it in chasing external rewards, one loses mastery of one's life, and ends up becoming a puppet of circumstances.
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To live means to experience-through doing, feeling, thinking. Experience takes place in time, so time is the ultimate scarce resource we have. Over the years, the content of experience will determine the quality of life. Therefore one of the most essential decisions any of us can make is about how one's time is allocated or invested.
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
It is as if evolution has built a safety device in our nervous system that allows us to experience full happiness only when we are living at 100%-when we are fully using the physical and mental equipment we have been given.
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Our jobs determine to a large extent what our lives are like. Is what you do for a living making you ill? Does it keep you from becoming a more fully realized person? Do you feel ashamed of what you have to do at work? All too often, the answer to such questions is yes. Yet it does not have to be like that. Work can be one of the most joyful, most fulfilling aspects of life. Whether it will be or not depends on the actions we collectively take.
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
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