Fascination for Discovery

Joe did not finish high school, worked at the same plant for over 30 years, but never wanted to be a foreman. Yet, according to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who tells Joe's story in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, everyone in the plant agreed that Joe "was the most important person in the entire factory."

Joe's manager affirmed that if he had five more workers like Joe, a simple welder, his plant would be the most efficient in the business. Fellow workers claimed that without Joe they would need to shut down their shop.

Why?

• Joe "mastered every phase of [the plant's] operations," and he could replace any absentee.
• He was fascinated with machinery - especially how machines were put together and their working mechanisms.
• Joe could "fix any broken-down piece of machinery, ranging from huge mechanical cranes to tiny electronic motors."
• He was drawn to anything that didn't work.
• Joe was not a workaholic.

Interestingly, when Csikszentmihalyi asked Joe how he could develop such complex skills, Joe said it all began as a child. His mother's toaster "went on the fritz." So he asked himself, "If I were that toaster and I didn't work, what would be wrong with me?" He took the toaster apart, found what went kaput and fixed it. Do you ask questions throughout your day? When I began to ask "What if" questions, and test out my ideas, my life began to change. Have you given it a try?

Now retired, Joe, continues to have this lifelong fascination for discovery. Throughout life, Joe experienced joy at work and personal fulfilment, too. How might others gain this kind of optimal experience?

Csikszentmihalyi suggests:

1. Develop a fascination for discovery
2. Recognize opportunities for action
3. Ask questions that help you turn problems into opportunities
4. Develop skills by focusing on activities at hand
5. Allow yourself to tunnel deep into the activity
6. Once a challenge is met, tackle another with increased complexity
7. Make your job into a game - with

• variety
• flexible challenges
• clear goals
• immediate feedback

While other welders that Csikszentmihalyi interviewed viewed their jobs as "burdens to be escaped as promptly as possible, and each evening as soon as work stopped they fanned out for the saloons that were strategically placed on every third corner of the grid of streets surrounding the factory, there to forget the dullness of the day with beer and camaraderie. Then home for more beer in front of the TV, a brief skirmish with the wife, and the day - in all respects similar to each previous one - was over.

On the other hand, the human brain leaps to puzzles and challenges. By developing a fascination for discovery, you can turn boredom around.

Blogging friends responded to my question, "How do you find joy in your work?" These responses may spark new tools for you...

Brad seeks "feedback from clients." That provides him opportunity to fix what wasn't working well and to celebrate what did.

Joanna facilitates people to "trust in the power of their own words." When she sees changes taking place in clients and what meaning they gather to themselves, she's joyous and gratified all at once.

Jackie finds joy in her position as a school Business Manager in one of the impoverished areas of Edinburgh, Scotland. This comes through interacting with the "little people" every day. In doing so she "supports" teachers and encourages the children. She helped some students open a little "tuck shop" where they sell fruits to other students and Jackie helps them learn math skills related to the real world. I sense Jackie is fascinated by the discoveries she's making as she reaches out beyond her job description to assist in student learning.

Beth is a researcher who finds great satisfaction when a project studied works well. But in this job a lot of tedium is involved. Beth decided to do something about it by focusing on the rhythm of the process as she tests samples, makes batches and fills out reports.

In what ways might you overturn boredom to create joy in your work?