optimizing experiences

i just finished this fascinating read, posted above, because ironically i didn't want to concentrate on spelling the author's last name again! 

this book is all about optimal experience and his basic premise is that to enjoy our activities and sum of living, we want to stay in a place where skill meets challenge.

if something's too easy, we become quickly bored, but by the same token our anxiety rises if we are met with too much challenge.

the art of paying attention and focusing our conscious thinking as well as bringing order to our worlds in terms of elements we can control can lead to increased happiness.

studies have been done on all ages of people in every culture and the maxim remains that happiness is not so much about what happens to us as much as how we view and talk to ourselves about what has happened.