Better on a War Footing

I'm reading a fascinating book (recommended by the equally fascinating Chlo? ) called Dopamine Nation . It's about the fact that the world is stuffed to the top with abundance of all kinds and that as a whole, we have more access to pleasure than ever before. Eating, drinking, drugs, video games, on and on. Part of Dr. Anna Lembke's premise to solving this was the notion of introducing "pain" to balance out the overabundance of dopamine we get in a given day. I'll explain.

She had four primary recommendations:

1. Exercise - better than a drug, she said. Even if it's just starting with walks.
2. Dopamine fasting - temporarily abstaining from high-dopamine activities like social media, junk food, or binge-watching TV.
3. Mindfulness and meditation - don't act like you don't know this one.
4. Cold exposure - cold showers and/or ice baths evidently work rather well.

Her idea was that we just bliss out, and our primitive brains aren't smart enough to know we're having too much of a good thing.

Too much of a good thing is the theme.

Peace vs War

There are countless books and movies where the theme is basically that we don't do as well in peacetime. People need a "villain" or an "enemy" to thrive their best. I know that this makes a lot of people bristle. We're supposed to seek peace. We should hope for abundance and prosperity.

But I think there's a risk to this. (And I don't really mean war. I'm using one of those worrisome analogies.) But what I think is that it's easy to fall into complacency and that we can get "somebody else itis" if we spend too much time in peace.

I guess I didn't have to say "war" or mention a "war footing," which is when you're set up and ready for war. I could've said "purpose" and "preparedness." Same thing.

A War Footing

The term means basically being prepared to face challenges. It means being thoughtful with choices. Reserve more resources so that you have them available to deploy where necessary. It means filling the stores, holding off on the parties, looking out at the horizon and plotting a way forward.

I've learned recently, partly through that book Dopamine Nation, that one way to get a dopamine hit is to be someone who seeks out complicated challenges. In fact, it's possible according to some research Dr. Lembke cites in the book that one theory of addiction is based partially around the idea that minds seek puzzle solving activity, and that impairment is one way to add levels of complexity to one's life (on a subconscious level, this is). That was eye opening.

I get excited from complicated challenges. I like when the odds are a bit against us. I like when we've got to take action or peril, because it means we'll have another opportunity to win and find even more value. I think partially what I react to beyond the challenge is how a challenge brings people together. That's the nugget to me.

See? I don't want war. I want what war helps people band together to do.

(And again - I'm just thinking about work.)

Eliminate the Superfluous

Another detail. I like how challenging moments eliminate all the minutiae. (I hate that word so much, I couldn't even spell it.) The "everything" of mundane day to day tends to fall away when you're focused on the "war." It means you can look at all the extra fat you've built into your day, your processes, and acknowledge your lack of focus.

Yeah. I love a good opportunity to refocus, aim at a clear and obvious target, and do something meaningful and impactful.

Ready to serve.

Chris...