Laurie E. Smith's Blog

Four years ago—on October 20, 2021–Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi passed away.

On that day, our Flow Community was on day one of a 28-Day Flow Challenge.

Those 28 days ended up being particularly transformative for many of us. 

In Csikszentmihalyi‘s memory and honor, I invite you to spend 5-10 minutes today doing something you absolutely love to do—something that has a high chance of getting you into flow.

You might be surprised what happens!

If you’ve never heard of Mihaly Csikszentmih...

While friends come and go, our relationship with ourselves never ends. We can learn a lot about how to be our own best friend and kind to ourselves by paying attention to what we appreciate about our other relationships and true friends.

In my work with groups and clients, I’ve seen that self-compassion not only gives us the confidence to make our creative dreams come true, it also helps us experience the flow state more often. For highly creative people, being kind to ourselves and k...

“Our true nature is not some deal that we have to live up to. It’s who we are right now, and that’s what we can make friends with and celebrate.”

~Pema Chodron

I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship lately. Perhaps that’s because I’ve been making more time for my friends lately, including some from long ago.

The truth is, while friends come and go, the one that never ends is our relationship with ourselves.

We can learn a lot about how to be a good friend to ourselves b...

We almost didn’t go. We were resisting.
 
It was a foggy, chilly, blustery San Francisco summer day. Too windy and cold, we thought, to sit out on a marina listening to live music.
 
So, we hulled up. Stayed in.
 
We spent the day purging, cleaning cupboards, checking off house projects. We were getting things done. Important things. There were so many reasons not to go.
 
Finally, about an hour before the event was scheduled to end, my husband said, “C’mon, let’s just go.”
 
We dropped everything, and wi...

Here are 52 of my favorite inspirational quotes. Research shows inspirational quotes can really help make us happier and more resilient!

These can help you or someone close to you going through a hard time. Keep them handy if you or someone close to you ever needs a pick-me-up. You also might choose one each week as a mantra to help you stay positive and focus on what matters most.

Here are 52 of my favorite inspirational quotes. Research shows inspirational quotes can really help make us happier and more resilient!

These can help you or someone close to you going through a hard time. Keep them handy if you or someone close to you ever needs a pick-me-up. You also might choose one each week as a mantra to help you stay positive and focus on what matters most.

This past weekend, rain poured down as if the sky was crying its heart out. 55 mph winds knocked down trees, tipped over patio umbrellas, and sent trash cans rolling; it was a real temper tantrum.

Many years ago, on a similar rainy day, I went for a jog through the puddles and had the time of my life (see photo ). This past weekend, I was cuddled up under my favorite blanket by the fire, watching it from the inside looking out (still having the time of my life!)

Life is filled with unexpec...

My husband and I were going through a phase where our house management to-do list was longer than the Declaration of Independence. Too much to do. It was time to take control of our lives.

We had an old (beloved) car sitting in our driveway we couldn’t part with.

We had another car that needed to go to the shop for a broken heater.

Our son’s bedroom needed to be repainted for the third time becaus...

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” -Proverb

I have a memory of when I was about four or five years old. I was home with my father and I was bored. Very bored.

So, I went up to him and asked, as most children do, for him to please fix it.

I think it probably went something like this: “Daddy, I’m sooooo bored!!!”

My father stopped whatever he was doing, sat down with me at the kitchen table, took out a pen and paper and made a list of all...

Last night, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, surrounded by complete strangers at our local community center. I was at an event focused on offering peer-to-peer support to friends in need, with a focus on preventing suicide.
 
I was there primarily on behalf of my kids. Like most teens, they are often in the position of supporting friends through life’s ups and downs. As the program unfolded, however, I had my own AH-HA moment. I realized that something every one of us must do, regardless of...