Write 150 words reply to a student’s discussion. All the work must be original
Discussion 5
Tyler Davis
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi talks about the “State of Flow” and how it is the optimal state of consciousness where we feel our best and perform our best. I have experienced this “state of flow” when I was transitioning into my new position at a car dealership earlier this year. Before the new position, I was being micromanaged by my superiors, that did not trust in what I was doing. Ironically, she was fired and I was moved into my new position of vehicle merchandising and photography. I was only very happy with the new position because I was not micromanaged. I only reported directly to the General Manager/Owner. One day, I realized well hell, I live across the street from where I worked, making decent money, and I love what I do. That entire next week, I performed my best. I was loving life. Then, of course, the automotive industry hits (I no longer work there). That gave me the state of flow that Csikzentmihalyi is talking about.
I am not surprised that the amount of material wealth does not bring more happiness. You can be a famous superstar with everything you could possibly ever want and still be not happy or even have depression. Happiness is measured in different ways for everybody. For me, happiness is measured by my surroundings, for example; family, friends, success in the workplace. Being happy is not always easy, but make sure you know that your family and friends are standing behind you the entire way. (Chris Janson – “Buy Me a Boat”)
“Ramping up our giving” at work is a major part in developing yourself and others around you. If you heard someone said, “its not my job, I’m not doing it”, they do not understand that the workplace is a team effort. If your boss asks you to do something completely out of your comfort zone, take into consideration the “Why” behind him/her asking you to do the task. For example, when I was working at the Car Dealership, I was brought into the General Manager / Owner’s office. He asked me to run an automotive service department, mind you that I do not even know how to change the oil in my truck at the time. I gracefully said yes because I know that it was needed in both the workplace and for my personal development. Now, when talking about finding meaning at work, this gave me meaning because I was contributing in the company’s mission and producing profit for the dealership. Also, this gave me meaning at work because I knew that the General Manager did this to further develop my skills. This comes into context of me being a giver at work. Usually, I will volunteer my skills outside of my typical job description to help save the business money in other places. My statement earlier of “then the automotive industry hits”, the GM offered me 8% commission of the total net profit of the service department. I was not paid that, for the 3 months I ran that department, I made a total of $254 of a Net profit of over $15000, that math did not add up. Just be careful volunteering skills and time, make sure you are being taken care of and not being taken advantage of.