The germ of an idea doesn't make the sculpture that stands up... so the next stage is hard work
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
It is not the skills we actually have that determine how we feel but the ones we think we have.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Our perception of our skills impacts our emotions more than our actual abilities.
This quote emphasizes the importance of mindset in shaping our feelings and experiences. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi suggests that it is not our actual skills that dictate our emotions, but rather our beliefs about those skills, highlighting the power of self-perception in influencing emotional states and overall well-being.
Themes
SkillsPerceptionMindsetEmotionBelief
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational seminar to inspire attendees to build self-confidence.
More from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
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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.
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
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
When we are involved in [creativity], we feel that we are living more fully than during the rest of life.
Mihaly CsikszentmihalyiRead
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