Effort Equals Happiness
“A joyful life is an individual creation that cannot be copied from a recipe.” - Mihaly Csikszentmihaly
There’s a reason why “The Dip” works, though, and it’s backed by some (in my opinion) awesome psychology. You can read a lot about this concept if you’re really interested (we’re going to be talking a bit about Flow), but we’ll cover all the important bases right here right now in a fraction of the time. Take a look at this chart:
In this chart, it shows “Challenge Level” and “Skill Level.” Your goal is to reach “Flow.” Wikipedia has a good definition:
Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.
Basically, “Flow” is a good feeling to have if you’re studying something (Japanese, perhaps?). The chart above shows that in order to reach Flow, you first have to reach a high skill level (if we compare this to “The Dip” that would be when you’ve gotten out of it and have started climbing the other side). Along with the high skill level, you have to be doing something challenging, otherwise it’s just boring or relaxing (and you’re not learning anything). If you take a look at something too challenging and you don’t have a high enough skill level, then you start feeling worried or anxious, and that’s no good. It’s a fine line you have to walk.
If you don’t make it out of “The Dip,” you’ll never be able to have Flow. Once you have Flow, though, there’s no turning back. It’s an amazing feeling.