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Have you noticed how many recent books and movies have focused on the subject of personal happiness? We are seeking reasons to be optimistic in these times of doom and gloom. Last winter, watching the Winter Olympics reminded me that hard work and pushing oneself to the limit can actually be exhilarating. One after another, the athletes talked about the satisfaction they felt when they performed at their peak under pressure. You can sense their joy and feel their happiness.

After winning her gold medal in downhill skiing, Lindsey Vonn said, “I’ve given up everything for this. This means the world to me.”

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of several books, uses the word “flow” to describe “the mental state of operation in which the person is fully immersed in what he or she is doing by a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity.” When what we are doing becomes “effortless,” or when we are so consumed with what we are doing that we lose all sense of time, we are in the flow.

We often think that we are happier with less to do and more leisure time. But being in the flow is when we are challenged and pushing our skills to the limit. It is enjoyable even when there is pressure or risk and the outcome is not guaranteed. It is easy to understand this concept in the world of sports or music, but it is equally important in business.

In his book “Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning,” Csikszentmihalyi explains that flow is about engaging workers, which leads to higher levels of productivity and satisfaction. He describes what it is like to “be in the flow”:

• Goals are clear: The focus is on the quality of the experience during the performance.

• Feedback is immediate: We trust our internal standards to give ourselves objective feedback.

• A balance between opportunity and capacity: Flow happens when challenges and skills are high and equal to each other.

• Concentration deepens: We get “into” the task without thinking about it.

• The present is what matters: Our complete attention is on the task. We’re not worried about the past or future.

• Control is no problem: Focus is on our ability to control our performance rather than control over others.

• The sense of time is altered: We’re so absorbed that time is irrelevant.

• The loss of ego: We’re focused on something greater than self.

When we are in the flow, we are intrinsically motivated, which is especially satisfying when external events seem out of control. Csikszentmihalyi says that “anything can be enjoyable if the elements of flow are present.”

Now is the time to help workers reconnect, recommit and re-engage – time to be in the flow.

Jann E. Freed holds the Mark and Kay De Cook Endowed Chair in Leadership and Character Development at Central College in Pella.