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“The key element to optimal experience is that it is an end in and of itself.” — Flow, p. 67.
The term autotelic comes from the Greek words auto, self, and telos, goal. Autotelic activities are self-contained and performed without expectation of future benefit. For instance:
Creating content to merely gain popularity isn’t autotelic. Doing it to prove your skills and be creative is. Similarly, coding just to land a high-paying job isn’t autotelic. Programming because you genuinely love it is.
Autotelic experiences enrich our lives in profound ways. Besides providing sheer enjoyment, they allow us to:
- Reach higher states of consciousness;
- Increase our minds’ capabilities;
- Be free from the entropy of mundane existence;
- Align with primary cosmic principles;
- Expand beyond self-imposed limitations;
In this one, we’ll explore these, plus a few tactics to make your life more autotelic.
For those new to my work, I go by the name of POTB. I am a creator focusing on topics like psychology, philosophy, human potential, and creativity. When they make sense, I incorporate Esoteric perspective(s), and I (always) strive to make my…
