LIVING IN THE NOW - VERSUS - LIVING AT THE EDGE

The constant battle between seratonin and endorphins - versus - dopamine and adrenaline.

I wish we humans were like my noble-hearted twelve-year-old westie Toby, living in the now and experiencing the pure joy of simple pleasures in life: walking on the moors, contemplating the open sky, smelling the fresh Lacashire air, rolling on the moist grass. 

Like most organic matter, humans are made of DNA and chemicals that affect our affective and analytical responses. Our canine friends are lucky to be mostly fuelled by seratonin and endorphins, the happiness and wellbeing hormones.

In contrast, most humans are addicted to dopamine and adrenaline.

I say “addicted” not in a light-hearted way. 

Our consumer-oriented and technology-driven lives, if left unchecked, can easily multiply the impulses that trigger the production of dopamine and adrenaline in our bodies.

From longing the instant gratification of sugar-rich food, which can lead to obesity and even diabetes, to scoring the highest points in the latest release of your favourite video game, to binge-watching a whole series overnight in Netflix, we are surrounded by these seemingly innocuous signals.

My beautiful wife of twenty-five-years and I are the complete opposite in personalities. She tells me I am a number ‘seven’ entrepreneurial type in the enneagram, while she is a ‘two’ caring and reflective person. I envy her collectedness and inner balance.

To all my tech-entrepreneurial fellow founders, watch out, because we are dopamine and adrenaline junkies. 

We crave the sensation that brings taking a new product to the market, and revenue grow and soar.

We will tackle any obstacle in order to succeed, partly because we tend to be creative and resourceful in nature; partly because we can’t live without the boost that the production of dopamine and adrenaline give us.

This double-sword of dopamine-adrenaline and tech-savvy creativity has kept startup founders going for almost two centuries since the first industrial revolution. 

Thomas Edison, who invented the electrical bulb among other many things, was a dopamine and adrenaline junkie, as it was Benjamin Franklin, and Leonardo Da Vinci in the last centuries. 

The late Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), and Bill Gates (Microsoft) surely were, at the time of founding their startups, addicted to dopamine and adrenaline, besides being hugely creative and resourceful individuals.        

CULTIVATE 'LIVING IN THE NOW'

We can’t change the history of our biological evolution nor our chemistry, but we can be smart about the way we live our lives and our outlook on work and family.

To live happier lives, we must cherish our families, have a healthy work routine, set a time for relaxation and meditation (e.g., away from adding ‘likes’ and ‘comments’ in social media as you might be doing now at 2 am in the morning). Besides this, adding a little bit of exercise and enjoying a balanced diet will help your body produce serotonin and endorphins, and be much happier beings like our beloved doggy friends.

Last but not least, adopting a dog will bring so much joy into your life!

This article is dedicated to Toby, who keeps reminding me of the important things in life.