Be Better Than The Average Person... Here's How! Are you aware that the brain starts to release a hormone every time that you are taking up something that is new?. That's the same feel good hormone released when you're eating chocolate or having sex. It's a survival hormone. From the start of civilization, it’s been an integral component that helped the first humans understand what could sustain them.
I’m sure you’re probably wondering, how does taking up something different induce this hormone to release? Prehistoric survival was highly dependent on being alert to new things. In fact, this was imperative to decipher who or what to hunt, what sorts of flowers or berries were eatable on so forth. They were at the mercy of nature, both its bounty and its threats, and these could very suddenly change. Because of this kind of environment they lived in our ancestors were always at the whim of performing short-lived experiences like escaping from a tiger, finding a handful of wild berries or managing to hunt down a boar. With each of these new experiences, the brain would release the Dopamine hormone to guide and inspire them to continue to explore. Fast forward to today, and this short attention task orientated focus are just not as beneficial to life survival as perhaps they once were. In fact the exact opposite has become true; if you can't focus and stick to something for a sustained period of time, you won’t make very much progress. Not surprisingly, the opposite in fact holds true. Whilst this won’t lead to you starving to death, you will most likely find yourself leading a dull, unhappy and unfulfilled life. Although beneficial for our ancestors back then for survival, it appears that we have all inherited a shorter task orientated focus span. After that initial excitement where our body and willpower are fighting side by side towards our new goal, we are left with a situation where our willpower has to continue the fight alone or worse fight against the natural habits of our body. This is one of the major reasons we have so much trouble sticking to a personal development program for more than a few days. We are usually quick to get unmotivated and somewhat bored after starting something new- especially if it requires a bit of work and commitment. But despite this many of us will have experiences where a burning desire, or even a life-and-death necessity has aroused our willpower and made us commit to certain long-term goals, and more importantly manage to stick to and achieve them. And as you probably are already aware, there is nothing quite like the satisfaction of achieving a goal as the brain releases that feel good Dopamine chemical, taking us to that pleasurable feeling. So now you know, the question must be ‘what can you do about it’? Well the good news is being aware of the underlying cause is half the battle, now you know what to expect, and this allows you to plan for it. Plan that when you complete your first 7 days, give yourself a reward. Be creative with this. Try thinking of different small things that might appeal to you. Make sure to write down just what this reward will be before you even start on your first day and leave it somewhere you’ll easily be able to see it. Another good idea is to use a tool that can help you commit and multiply by reprogramming the subconscious. Though there are many tools available, if you are not sure where to start, have a read of one of the better ones at http://themindmoviesreview.com/mind-movies-matrix. Going back to sticking with your goals, when for example you get to your 6th morning, you might not be feeling that motivated to work towards your goal, your mind will probably come up with all sorts of excuses why you can’t or don’t need to do it. But you’ll also know you only need to go on 2 more mornings or whatever, to get your reward, and that doesn’t seem like too much effort. Really, all it takes is to be a little more strategic with yourself and give yourself little treats out of the blue! You’ll be surprised to see how well you keep moving forward.
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AuthorJames Ward is a sound and lighting professional that has found a new way to light up his world! ArchivesCategories |