According to behavioral therapist Andrea Kuszewski, this is what’s going on when we learn something new: “When you seek novelty, several things are going on. First of all, you are creating new synaptic connections with every new activity you engage in. These connections build on each other, increasing your neural activity, creating more connections to build on other connections—learning is taking place.”
New experiences trigger the release of dopamine, motivating us, which in turn leads to neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons and new neural connections.
Whether we base it on science or common sense, there is great power in being mindful and intentional about our choices. Putting ourselves in a position to reflect, try new things, and continue to learn widens our perspectives and brings numerous physical benefits. Plus, it’s often just plain fun.
Here are a few things to consider to keep yourself mindful and inspired.
1. Get clear about what makes you fulfilled.
Many of us have no idea what actually fuels us, and go through life as if we don’t have the choices that we actually have. Eblin says that “you can’t balance your priorities if you don’t know what they are.”
Spend some time getting very clear about what drives you. Consider when you were happiest in the past few months. What were you doing? What things do you look forward to? What were your pique work experiences that make you feel fulfilled? What do you want to do more of and less of?
Our time is limited and precious. Eblin cites time studies that we spend on average 72 hours a week connected to work. After eating and sleeping, we have about 40 hours left each week to spend on everything else. For her book, Overwhelm, Washington Post journalist Brigid Schulte consulted a sociologist who studies time use to understand where her time was going. Turns out, our so-called leisure time is often in scraps of 5-10 minutes intervals.
If we’re not intentional about how we spend our time, it easily evaporates.
2. Be intentional about trying new things.
In our brains, happiness and learning are closely tied together. Positive or happy experiences activate the learning process.
The ideal state of learning is called flow, when you lose yourself entirely in an activity. Flow happens when you’re so engaged in what you’re doing, that you lose track of time. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, who coined the term, says that happiness is found in these moments of profound engagement: “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times…The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
3. Lose the need to be perfect.
When we try anything new we learn the most when we go into it with a beginner’s mind. High performers like to perform in every aspect of their lives. But when we’re in the realm of personal development, we often need to learn for the sake of learning, not winning. We get new insights into ourselves when we handle a fresh challenge, and that creates ripple effects in other areas of our lives.
As a personal example, this past year I started playing tennis. One of the hardest tasks was to learn to relax and just trust swing of the racket. What a great reminder to myself to let go and not try to force the outcome.
4. Variety is the spice of (longer) life.
Jacquelyn James, director of research at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work, argues that being engaged in new and exciting activities can provide a host of benefits as we mature: “As we get older, it is more important to find things to do that light up our lives…Our minds are central to this effort, and thrive when we are finding new things for them to do. Whether it’s acquiring a new skill or language (very high on the list of mental acuity benefits), joining a new group and meeting new people, or finding ways to continue using existing skills, successful aging and longevity are built upon patterns of lifelong learning.”
Anyone can overwork themselves for a while. But if you’ve been there you know, that eventually you hit a wall. It’s all a matter of energy – getting it, using it, and regenerating it. We all have choices we don’t take. When we can stop, reflect, and make intentional choices that keep us energized, inspired and fulfilled, we’re on the road to not just mindfulness, but enduring happiness.
New experiences trigger the release of dopamine, motivating us, which in turn leads to neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons and new neural connections.
Whether we base it on science or common sense, there is great power in being mindful and intentional about our choices. Putting ourselves in a position to reflect, try new things, and continue to learn widens our perspectives and brings numerous physical benefits. Plus, it’s often just plain fun.
Here are a few things to consider to keep yourself mindful and inspired.
1. Get clear about what makes you fulfilled.
Many of us have no idea what actually fuels us, and go through life as if we don’t have the choices that we actually have. Eblin says that “you can’t balance your priorities if you don’t know what they are.”
Spend some time getting very clear about what drives you. Consider when you were happiest in the past few months. What were you doing? What things do you look forward to? What were your pique work experiences that make you feel fulfilled? What do you want to do more of and less of?
Our time is limited and precious. Eblin cites time studies that we spend on average 72 hours a week connected to work. After eating and sleeping, we have about 40 hours left each week to spend on everything else. For her book, Overwhelm, Washington Post journalist Brigid Schulte consulted a sociologist who studies time use to understand where her time was going. Turns out, our so-called leisure time is often in scraps of 5-10 minutes intervals.
If we’re not intentional about how we spend our time, it easily evaporates.
2. Be intentional about trying new things.
In our brains, happiness and learning are closely tied together. Positive or happy experiences activate the learning process.
The ideal state of learning is called flow, when you lose yourself entirely in an activity. Flow happens when you’re so engaged in what you’re doing, that you lose track of time. Mihaly Csikszentmihaly, who coined the term, says that happiness is found in these moments of profound engagement: “The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times…The best moments usually occur if a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile.”
3. Lose the need to be perfect.
When we try anything new we learn the most when we go into it with a beginner’s mind. High performers like to perform in every aspect of their lives. But when we’re in the realm of personal development, we often need to learn for the sake of learning, not winning. We get new insights into ourselves when we handle a fresh challenge, and that creates ripple effects in other areas of our lives.
As a personal example, this past year I started playing tennis. One of the hardest tasks was to learn to relax and just trust swing of the racket. What a great reminder to myself to let go and not try to force the outcome.
4. Variety is the spice of (longer) life.
Jacquelyn James, director of research at the Sloan Center on Aging & Work, argues that being engaged in new and exciting activities can provide a host of benefits as we mature: “As we get older, it is more important to find things to do that light up our lives…Our minds are central to this effort, and thrive when we are finding new things for them to do. Whether it’s acquiring a new skill or language (very high on the list of mental acuity benefits), joining a new group and meeting new people, or finding ways to continue using existing skills, successful aging and longevity are built upon patterns of lifelong learning.”
Anyone can overwork themselves for a while. But if you’ve been there you know, that eventually you hit a wall. It’s all a matter of energy – getting it, using it, and regenerating it. We all have choices we don’t take. When we can stop, reflect, and make intentional choices that keep us energized, inspired and fulfilled, we’re on the road to not just mindfulness, but enduring happiness.
Comments
Post a Comment