Learning Could Be the Best Thriving Habit

Learning Could be the Best Thriving Habit because it stimulates happiness brain chemicals and could lead to flow. Flow is one of the highest states of bliss. Athletes get addicted to flow and so do any people experiencing it regularly.

Learning is a stimulating exercise because it is supported by Nature. Nature’s intent for man is to learn how to better adapt to his environment and make the next generations more adaptable. Nature does not know we are in the age of Artificial Intelligence, she thinks we are still hunters and gatherers or maybe she thinks we have advanced to the age of enlightenment.

Challenge and Risk Are the Most Fun Adventures in Life

Learning requires challenge and risk. These are two characteristics commonly experienced by adrenaline junkies and extreme athletes. Video game designers know that the secret is to get players into a state of flow, which is why their business is so addicting. How else do you get a kid absorbed in something for 5-hours? By the way, the Air Force has learned gamers can make great pilots, so gaming is not entirely time-wasting.

At the beginning, learning can be painful. There is little flow at the start. It takes the gaining of some competence to find the enjoyment of challenge. Once competency is gained, a person can engaged without thinking of the mechanics and move to a bigger challenge. This is where flow enters. When I ride my road bike, I don’t have to think about the mechanics nor am I overly distracted with traffic because I am alert subconsciously. Therefore, my mind drifts off into a meditative state as my brain and body move the bike, almost without me.

Extreme Athletes are Extreme Learners

This is what happens to extreme athletes when they drop off the side of a mountain on skis. Their brain and body react to every situation faster than a person can think. They are using their brain, intuition, subconscious, and body to coordinate an often very creative experience. The feelings they have in this state are what is so addictive. The reason they do this over and over is because of the feelings they experience, not getting down the mountain or on top of rocks.

Learning is the starting point. Research, medicine, teaching, athletics, art, entertaining, cooking, writing, and even love making all have the common thread of getting into the moment and losing track of all surrounding influences. The prefrontal cortex shuts down which is the self-criticism and self-judgment mechanism. A great speaker doesn’t think about how he is being judged. He is into the moment of expressing himself and no longer thinking.

The Beginning is Always the Difficult Part

Learning is difficult to begin with. This is the initiation period. But in the learning process that leads to flow, the brain stimulates dopamine which is like endorphins to raise the experience and sustain it. Dopamine is a little like caffeine that takes your brain to a different state. I personally prefer caffeine over alcohol because I would rather have my senses be stimulated than dulled.

Have some areas of learning you can incorporate into your life every day. When I first started blogging, it was painful to get sentences and paragraphs to flow and make sense. Then after months, the words started to roll out without the pain and I drop into flow every time I write. That is why it is so addicting and I do it every day. I am doing it for me as well as others.

Contribution is the Magic Sword

When contribution is a goal, it is like a turbo charger. Scientists love research but when their goal is helping mankind or saving the world, their work takes on a special energy. Notice how many movies are about saving the world. Why do we care about these fantasies? The bigger the goal, the more exciting the outcome. Failure would mean everybody dies.

Bezos did not set out to save the world, but rather make the shopping experience different. It took a long time for me to stop visiting bookstores and trust the online experience. Now I am a Premium member and love getting everything in a day or so. Think about the learning curve Amazon has been through and how much fun it is now to have so much influence. Bezos $750 million yacht says it paid off.

Find something that speaks to you and with which you could make a contribution. You will develop a passion that will be unquenchable. You will develop resilience that overcomes all obstacles. You will reach summit after summit. You love the game and won’t be concerned about the finish point. You many not want a finish point. You are getting happiness brain chemicals for engaging. You are thriving.

***

As a Thriving Worker Consultant, I can engage in conversations with employers on how to begin the process of helping workers thrive and reach peak performance. It begins with a conversation to see how far an organization is willing to go to change the culture for workers.

Great practices for daily living can be learned with the Markap Series of Books. If your organization would like live presentations or Zoom meetings, they can be arranged for small to large groups.

The Markap Books:

Self-Leadership, Gratitude, Happiness, and Start Now

See Books on the Home Page

Contact me at Mark@markap1.com