Editor’s note: Thought leader Grace Ueng is CEO of Savvy Growth, a noted leadership coaching and management consultancy. Grace writes a regular column on Happiness & Leadership for WRAL TechWire. Companies hire her firm to facilitate HappinessWorks™ programs, infusing the happiness advantage into corporate culture, leading to higher productivity and results.
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Upon entering remission from my severe depressive episode at the end of last year, I decided to restart piano after a four-decade hiatus to honor my mom, my first teacher. In her final days, I would be sure that her favorite, Debussy’s Clair de lune was playing in her room; her last words to me were “the music is beautiful.”
New Starts & Flow
My piano lessons and practicing have become a key part of my ongoing well-being regime. The first weekend after the delivery of my grand piano, I found myself completely in flow until past midnight, losing track of time, in pursuit of conquering the three movements of Hayden’s Sonata in C major No. 50 that my sister had sent me.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, the first to identify and research “flow,” when you are completely absorbed in a challenging but doable task. His research shows people are their most creative, productive, and happy when they are in a state of flow.
“The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times . . .
The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or m