This blog post has been inspired from the following wonderful video of Simon Sinek. It teaches us as to why continuous momentum is much more desirable than dopamine driven short term success.
Happy reading..
Come let us pile on motivation..
Adopted from the following great insight shared by Simon Sinek
“EXCITEMENT comes from the ACHIEVEMENT.
FULFILLMENT comes from the JOURNEY that got you there.”
Adopted from the following great quote of David Rock in his book Your Brain At Work
Cortisol – Leads to stress
Dopamine – Addictive and stimulated by rewards
Oxytocin – Love hormone and leads to fulfillment
Serotonin – Leadership hormone
“May your cortisol levels stay low, your dopamine levels high, your oxytocin run thick and rich, your serotonin build to a lovely plateau, and your ability to watch your brain at work keep you fascinated until your last breath. I wish you well on your journey.”
The following great motivational quote of Simon Sinek , clearly differentiates between Achievement and Success..
“Achievement happens when we pursue and attain what we want. Success comes when we are in clear pursuit of Why we want it.”
fMRI or Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging reveals activation of Nucleus Accumbens and the flow of the “Addictive” chemical named “Dopamine” when extrinsic rewards are provided.
The results are similar to addictive behavior produced as a result of consuming cocaine , alcohol or gambling.
The downside of “rewards” due to addiction reveals an alarming truth that rewards can lead to both “risky choice” and “risk seeking mistakes”.
The addictive feeling due to dopamine delights then dissipates and then demands another dose.This is never a long lasting feeling of fulfillment.
Adopted from Daniel Pink’s book Drive
Short term success gives us a shot of “dopamine” whereas long term lasting success is born out of the journey and makes “Oxytocin” flow through our veins.
The following great quote of Simon Sinek from his book Together is Better aptly highlights this fact.
“EXCITEMENT comes from the ACHIEVEMENT.
FULFILLMENT comes from the JOURNEY that got you there.”
The concept of WHY was introduced by Simon Sinek in his iconic book titled “Start With Why”.
A WHY is another name for finding a deep filled purpose in our lives.This has to be in sync with our own personality traits as well.
When we run after short term benefits , hit a goal , get a promotion we do find moments of happiness which is short lived.This is like a “dopamine hit” which is bound to die after some time.
Hence our sense of purpose has to be long term.When we delve deep and find our purpose or WHY , more often it is part of a futuristic vision which is bigger than ourselves.
When we work towards attainment of the WHY , we sense the flow of “oxytocin” or the fulfillment chemical that enriches us.
Adopted from Simon Sinek’s book titled “Start With Why” and “Find Your Why”
Human brain is a very complex system associated with flow of some very important neurotransmitters that influence our mood swings on a day to day basis.
When we feel happy for ourselves , for our sole benefit without absolutely no relationship to others , the neurotransmitter named “dopamine” flows.This is why it is sometimes called “selfish chemical.”
When we feel good by doing good to others , we feel a sense of fulfillment which is a basic biological constant for human beings since we are social animals to the core.This is why “oxytocin” is “selfless” & has been known to reduce stress and increase immunity.
Though not inherent to us , doing good to others being “go givers” as opposed to “go getters” is the way forward for leading healthy lives.