Csikszentmihalyi's Concept of Flow Applied to My Time as a Student Athlete

In chapter 5, Pink presents Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. At the age of twenty-two, Csikszentmihalyi moved to the United States to study psychology. He registered at the University of Illinois-Chicago and earned a Ph.D. in nine years after moving to the United States. Csikszentmihalyi set up an experiment with the electronic pager to study what he called “autotelic experiences” which is the objective of self-fulfillment and the endeavor acts as is its own incentive. The outcomes from the experiment led to the finest moments of flow: “The highest most satisfying experiences in people’s lives were when they were in flow” (112). The thought of flow is important to mastery because goals are strong and an individual is engaged as people in flow is

Growing up, I have been known as levelheaded and optimistic. I don’t let a lot of distractions or emotions change or affect the way I act around others. As an athlete, my coaches always knew that if they called me into a game I would handle the pressure and play to the best of my ability, so I decided to change

For some athletes, sports can be a good way to cope with stress. When they hit the court or the field, they feel as if all of their worries from that day vanish. But for others, sports can be how a person identifies his or herself and where they derive most of their self-esteem. So that moment when you realize something in your body or your mind isn’t right, you push through it and tell yourself it will go away. But sometimes the pain gets worse. So you have two

[]In “Finding Flow” Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi explores the idea of what it means “to live” (544). Csikszentmihalyi compares living with his idea to flow. Throughout the “Finding Flow” excerpt, Csikszentmihalyi discusses the idea of flow is to have a clear and concise goal, provide immediate feedback, and to balance skills and action opportunities (548).

Staying up late to finish up an essay, or studying late at night after a long day of a physical and mental beat down, is pushed through with determination. Sports taught me determination, and it comes with work ethic. Being a student athlete also gave me leadership qualities both in the classroom and on the field. No where in the classroom will I be put into situations where quick decisions must be made and consequences are waiting to follow. The discipline that is required to be successful at a sport has only strengthened me in every aspect of my life. The discipline through sports has taught me to respect everyone, be coachable, and not to sell myself short. Everything learned through sports gives you a big advantage in school as well. For many of us, if it wasn't for sports, we wouldn't still be in school working this hard. Being a student athlete helps prepare you to catch anything life throws at you, and to handle it very well. Gold medal olympian Bob Richards stated that "One of the great lessons I've learned in athletics is that you've got to discipline your life. No matter how good you may be, you've got to be willing to cut out of your life those things that keep you from going to the top". Sports has taken me farther in life and school than I believe I could’ve taken

Being on the varsity basketball, soccer, and softball team all three years has been quite a journey. Learning how to manage the little free time I have being a student-athlete is a thing that ties directly into responsibility. I believe I am an exceptionally responsible adolescent for the reason that I always am able to create time for my academics. Although it may be at 11 P.M on the bus ride home, I know that my education is my first priority. My softball coach, Shane Jordan, always re enforces the saying, “You are a student before you are an athlete.” This will stick with me throughout the rest of my high school career. Being a part of many unique teams has taught me great amounts about unity as well. Caring about and being there for my teammates on and off the court/field is something I do

Along with NHS, being actively involved in varsity sports throughout high school has made me gain a “work hard” attitude. This attitude of constantly working above and beyond will carry over to my future education and career to help me succeed. As a two-year captain of both volleyball and cheerleading, I have learned to be a team leader while also being a team player. High school sports have instilled lifelong lessons in me such as working hard, being responsible, and being a leader, that I know will aid me in by success in academics and a

Coaches always talk about how, “Sports do not make character, they reveal it”. By knowing this I know that the way I overcome difficulties on the field, shows how I will deal with the ups and downs in life. Sports also improve team building skills, communication skills, dedication, hard work, consistency, etc. I find if I improve on those I will be a better person on and off the field.

It’s often an uphill fight. The ego-driven culture of basketball, and society in general, militates against cultivating this kind of selfless action, even for members of a team whose success as individuals in tied directly to the group performance. Our society places such a high premium on individual achievement, it’s easy for players to get blinded by their own self-importance and lose a sense of interconnectedness, the essence of teamwork.”

Athletics has played an instrumental role promoting success in all branches of life impacting my performance in school, work and other life facets. Involvement in athletics taught me the value of commitment allowing me to play in Division 1 Women’s Soccer while attending the University of Washington. As a former student athlete, I have been winning and losing my entire life developing my own resilience and tremendous work ethic to work with others toward a common goal. My drive spills over into my professional interactions and career aspirations allowing me to connect

From my first T-Ball team to my senior year track club, the comradery and confidence I have gained from competing on numerous sports teams has made an enormous impact on my life. Growing up, I went to a very small Catholic school. With less than 100 students in the entire school district. In third grade, our family moved to Manteno. Where each grade level had at least 120 students. Baseball and Basketball were crucial for me in my early years. It was how I became acquainted with most of my friends growing up in Manteno. If it wasn’t for competing on a team, I would have stayed timid for the rest of my life. With the confidence sports have gave me, I have been able to challenge myself to experience the world and all

Throughout my life I have always been involved in sports, whether it's for a team or just with friends they have always been apart of me. Once I entered junior high I began playing competitive baseball, a commitment that taught me how to manage my time. With practices everyday ranging from 2-3 hours I was limited to the time I was able to hangout with friends as I decided to put my schoolwork first. I realized I needed to create a balance between school, sports, and friends so I could further my education as well as do the things I love.

Fear has been the barrier for goals and dreams leading to great possible success. Especially in athletics, many athletes experience failure and obstacles throughout their athletic career. Therefore, there are very few athletes that do not attempt or avoid the athletic fears. Whereas a student attempts to achieve the top of their academic rank, athletes will strive to be the best in the sport as well. Whether one is an athlete or student, one cannot succeed with just a strong “fixed” mindset of success. They must have more of a “growth” mindset to achieve. One must constantly seek challenge and difficulty in every step of their life. Avoidance is not the way to achieve success; in fact, you cannot achieve anything with avoidance. World-known NBA legend, Michael Jordan shares a very motivational statement through an interview, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve almost

Many days in the summer you can catch my teammates and me in the weightroom doing things that make the team better. One thing that my dad told me that has stuck in my brain since the day he told me it, “Don’t let anyone beat you that’s not supposed to.” That quote has encouraged me to be the best I can be. “Did you work harder than the person standing across from you?” This quote can be recited in just about any sport that you take. You never want to be the one that loses the game for you team, but nobody is perfect and it happens to the best of us. The ones that get back on the drawing boards and start from the beginning are the ones, the next time the situation occurs, to be the ones to win the game. All of the examples are what makes a good athlete with work ethic

For High Performance athletes, there can be a lot riding on their results and performance in competition. If athletes develop an over-reliance on sporting success as a source of self-worth and identity, it can lead to serious emotional issues if things do not go as desired. Athletes often identify their self-worth with their ability to perform, and performance failure has been significantly associated with depression (Taylor, 2015 pg.11; Troijan, 2016, pg. 137) Athletes face many struggles and when something goes wrong it can leave them not knowing where to turn for help. They can be left with they feelings that they are nothing, undeserving, and alone. This may also exacerbate their feelings of seclusion, depression, or grief. Most athletes