If so, you might want to cultivate flow. Happiness is not a rigid, unchanging state, Csikszentmihalyi has argued. On the contrary, the manifestation of happiness takes a committed effort. Beyond each person’s set point of happiness, there is a level of happiness over which each individual has some degree of control. Through research, Csikszentmihalyi began to understand that people were their most creative, productive, and happy when they are in a state of flow. In order to be engaged in a state of flow, several conditions must be met. First, the activity must be challenging but one must also possess great skill. For example, if most of us were trying to create Michelangelo’s David, it wouldn’t elicit flow, but rather anxiety, as the task greatly exceeds our level of skill. Likewise, to a great artist like Michelangelo, it wouldn’t be particularly interesting to create a turkey by outlining his hand. Second, the task has to be active and engaging. It’s possible to lose track of time and feel joy when watching a movie or taking a shower, but the brain is coasting on autopilot rather than being fully engaged. Third, the activity has to have clear parameters for success. These clear parameters help to enter and maintain a flow state as they indicate progress and quality. Finally, the motivation for the activity must be intrinsic, or coming from within. This doesn’t mean that a person can’t achieve flow when working for pay or external reward, but they must also gain personal satisfaction and be internally motivated to complete the task. While Csikszentmihalyi’s research focuses on the area of work and creative output, he sees that the state of flow is applicable to relationships and situations; even times of adversity can transform into a challenge rather than a setback. He even concludes that there are people who have developed their flow to such an extent that they are able to translate every potential threat into an enjoyable challenge, and thereby maintain an inner tranquility as a continuous state of mind. He calls such a person an “Autotelic Self,” someone who “is never bored, seldom anxious, involved with what goes on and in flow most of the time.” Now one might think that such a state is reserved for the few great human beings such as Socrates, Gandhi, or the Dalai Lama; but in fact, the examples that Csikszentmihalyi gives are of ordinary people who are able to find delight in ordinary daily tasks. FLOW IS SIMPLE. LIFE ISN’T.