Action & Dopamine

Okay so I need to write something now. I’ll ust start writing what come to my mind. One important thing to note is that I always want to follow everything I say religiously but sometimes I fail to do so. I am on the goal to be perfect but to be honest, I am far far from it. 

So this topic is about Action & Dopamine. If you’re confused about why those 2 things are together, then dont worry, I’ll try my best to explain it to you. 

Ever since I was young, I have been told I was action oriented. I spent less time thinking & planning what to do & spent more time doing it. For me the idea was I would find the direction as long as I kept moving. I am not very religious but I have read a bit of the Bhagavad Gita which is the religious text for Hindus. One of the main themes of the book is to focus on action or ‘karma’ as a lot of people hear it. Krishna in the book says that focus on Action & do the right action. Dont worry about the reward that you’ll get from that action. Now let’s stop here. Why do we take a lot of the actions? Do we study to get good marks? Do we work to get that paycheck at the end of the month? Do we work out to look good? It’s an important question to ask yourself. Now let’s dive slightly more into it. After a long day of work, do you reward yourself with a meal? Do you watch that movie/show that makes you happy? 

Some of the recent research shows that you can consciously control the flow of dopamine while working, or while studying or while working out. You have to in a way tell yourself that this is making you happy. That this is the goal. And over time, you’ll be happier when you are doing the work than when you have finished it. And more broadly in life, I believe that when I am doing something, I should not be doing it for something I’ll get at the end of task. Doing the task is itself the goal. Doing the task is what makes you happy. 

Life is a process & not a fixed state. Then why not focus more on enjoying the process?

One of the best examples of this is spending time with your friends. When you are with your friends and having a good time, you aren’t thinking of anything you’ll get at the end of the hangout session. You are just in the moment having a good time. And that is the way one can choose to look at life. 

Finally, here is the link to the podcast. These 2 hours have really had a big impact on me -