Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyiby Parker on TwosIf the functions of the body are left to atrophy, the quality of life becomes merely adequate, and for some even dismal. But if one takes control of what the body can do, and learns to impose order on physical sensations, entropy yields to a sense of enjoyable harmony in consciousnessEvery person, no matter how unfit he or she is, can rise a little higher, go a little faster, and grow to be a little stronger. The joy of surpassing the limits of the body is open to allThe essential steps in this process are:to set an overall goal, and as many subgoals as are realistically feasibleto find ways of measuring progress in terms of the goals chosento keep concentrating on what one is doing, and to keep making finer and finer distinctions in the challenges involved in the activityto develop the skills necessary to interact with the opportunities availableto keep raising the stakes if the activity becomes boringPeople were happiest when they were just talking to one another, when they gardened, knitted, or were involved in a hobby; all of these activities require few material resources, but they demand a relatively high investment of psychic energy. Leisure that uses up external resources, however, often requires less attention, and as a consequence it generally provides less memorable rewards