It’s the Pursuit

The brain releases dopamine in pursuit, not in possession.

When we are in full pursuit of what we want, we are focused and engaged and feel alive.

Other pains and troubles fade away, eclipsed by absorption into the quest.

This is why when we finally achieve a goal, we aren’t satisfied for long, and we look for a new one.

So be it.  

Let’s go.

What are you in pursuit of now?

Can we please stop eating and drinking sugar?

I do not want to be preachy on Think Daily.  I want to be helpful.  Affirming.  Confirming.

I look around here in America.

Yes, it’s a free country.  

But we have a big problem.

Today, let me be a voice for sanity.

What we are doing is not right, even though everyone is doing it.

Corporate America mostly does not care.  It’s just that eating plants is not addictive, and that is not good for profits.

Pull the alarm.

Control the controllables.

We know what to do.

You can.

Struggle builds strength

We try to shelter our kids from harm.  Makes sense.

The other day, our 11-year-old got out of school early because it was too hot.

We try to eliminate discomfort – physical, emotional, and psychological.  We even pass laws.  Ok.  I’m not saying I’m not for it.

The long-term results for many?

For people who have only known comfort and things going well inside their comfort zones, discomfort is a horror that is hard to take.

So they play it safe, and don’t take chances because it may not work out peachy at first.

I’d prescribe real struggle for many to make their life better in the long-term.  (I’d rather not be around to hear their complaining, though.)

I am quite qualified to give this advice.

It worked for me.

Talk positively to yourself

Yesterday, we talked about how your brain is listening all the time and that it makes no distinction between truth and untruth.  

If you speak negatively, it listens to you and believes you.

But the opposite is also true.  

Positive self-talk is accepted, especially with repetition.

“I feel great!”  “I am going to work on my most important goal today, and I’m going to crush it!” 

“I love what I’m going to be doing today”.  “I got this.”

As Zig Ziglar said, “Positive thinking won’t allow you to do anything, but it will allow you to do everything better than negative thinking will.”

Positive self-talk is reflected in your attitude, which others notice.  When others notice your positive attitude, they respond more positively to you.  Because they respond positively to you, it’s easier for you to be even more positive.  It’s a positive feedback loop – a spiral up.

Words matter – mostly to you.

How do you want to talk to yourself?

The one you listen to the most is…

The one you listen to the most is YOU.  Your brain hears every word you say.  

If you say “I am bad at that”, or “I am tired today”, or “I hate this”, your brain is listening and does not argue.

They are not just statements; they are instructions.  You brian goes to work to make it true.

Repetition creates stronger and stronger neural pathways for acceptance and instruction of these statements.

Be careful how you talk, even when nobody else is around to hear it.

Someone very important is listening, and will make your speech come true.