Joy JuJu Drop

Hey Friend,

It has been a spectacular week! I got to see my mom, brother, his fam and long-term friends who are clients. And it all happened in sunny Orlando. A couple of the days were even at the Most Magical Place on Earth. We got a behind-the-scenes bus ride to Epcot to watch fireworks and eat desserts one night. The next we were at the Animal Kingdom, after hours, with our own private party with the Lion King and Everest roller coaster.

This was my second time to have dinner in a Disney Park after hours. It's a bit surreal compared to the cram-packed passage ways when the park is open. Speaking with Violet, one of our young hostesses who came down for a work-study program through her school, she said it happens every single night. Someone is always renting out Disney World. That's wild.

Even better than all that, my presentation on Tuesday morning went so well it was a bit euphoric. And the immediate impact and feedback was some of the best I've gotten in a long time. It felt sooooooooo good. I was like "I should do this for a living!" Several factors contributed, I'm sure. It was magical though. I rode that high all week. Even now writing you about it gives me an emotional hit of goodness.

I'm not a neuro-scientist, but I play one sometimes. Flooding our brain with dopamine and serotonin generates all the best sensations. That I got them from being in service to others through a format I love, is incredibly satisfying. I can't imagine chasing a feeling, but when it shows up, it's deeply rewarding.

THE MAGIC

I guess that's the magic. You and I carry around concealed drugs. With the right stimulant we can flood our system with joyous juju. Why is it so difficult to consistently access an effective catalyst? Like, why aren't we daily existing in an elevated state of elation? It seems like the opposite is true. Most days, most people are fighting the negative.

Sex, drugs and rock-n-roll is shorthand for guaranteed neurotransmitter triggers. The cocktail of physical, mental and emotional access points offers an immediate return. We get the appeal. Who doesn't want to feel good? As professional adults, our opportunities lie beyond the shortcut of adolescent hormones and teenage fantasy.

MINDSHIFT

What if you built a daily system that guaranteed a dopamine drop?

IT'S THE NEGATIVES

In relationship research they say it takes five positives for every one negative. So if you say something stupid to someone, it takes you saying five different, kind, nice things to just get back to even. (Not "I'm sorry" five times.) My friend Jack said to me a long time ago "The lesson is DON'T SAY THE STUPID THING!"

We are bombarded with negativity daily. Instead of the search for good joyous stimuli to douse our brain, maybe a better course of action is to reduce significantly the negative inputs? Creating a more naturally positive baseline means it takes less stringent instigators for us to arrive at regulated bliss more frequently. Let's do that.

MINDSHIFT

What if this week you consciously reduced negative inputs by 20%? What if you replaced it with dopamine-inducing thoughts or actions?

REMOVAL UNNECESSARY

Prior to getting up on the stage and delivering my message, we had numerous small challenges in the previous weeks. Even the day before caused me to wonder if I was bringing the right message. I'm not suggesting the absolute removal of difficulty is required to achieve a brain dump of joy juju. It exists even in the most trying spaces.

What does increase the impact on me is knowing what it took to get us to that place and then experience the results. You and I can appreciate that sense of "It was worth it."

Having others reinforce it with ravingly positive words amplifies the zen state of contentment.

It should be noted that before all of that, my mom, who is a SkipBo Grand Master was beaten not once, but twice by me. It was foreshadowing of all the good that was to come.

SHIFTING

I hope this week you figure out how to reduce the negative, amplify the positive and get strategic about building a daily life that triggers the joy juju to fill your heart and mind. #ShiftAway