Sunday Sharies 12.26.21

A QUOTE
"If you focus on what you have, you gain what you lack. And if you focus on what you lack, you lose what you have."
– Greg McKeown, British author

A QUESTION
What were your best investments of time, money, and energy this year?

A THOUGHT
We have overwhelming evidence that building a practice around gratitude lowers stress, reduces inflammation, and improves sleep. Though most people have an instinctive understanding of what gratitude is, it can be surprisingly difficult to attain. When we’re not in the mood, it’s hard to appreciate the complexity of a tree’s branch network or the choreography of moving clouds. In search of something more exotic to admire, we lose the simplicity of the practice. Genetic and cultural variations aside, we know that when we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions.

When gratitude feels elusive, what if there was a natural way to increase dopamine levels on command? What if you could manipulate this reward system to strengthen the connection between your environment and your mood? Good news: there is, and you can.

Simulate the sensation of gratitude by starting the shower with cold water. Stand under the shower head and let 10 - even 5 - seconds pass before allowing the water to get hot. As endorphins are released in response to the initial shock to the skin, they create a mood-lifting effect. Then the body happily accepts the sudden comfort of warmth. That is gratitude at the cellular level.

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P.S. I first learned about Greg McKeown while listening to his interview with Tim Ferris.