My drug of choice.
My last post, I summarized a portion of Simon Sinek’s book, Leaders Eat Last. In it he contends as a culture we are increasingly becoming addicted to 2 natural chemicals in our body – dopamine and cortisol.
Every time you achieve something find or something you are looking for you receive shot of dopamine. Cortisol is the adrenaline shot you need to give you awareness and get you through a stressful moment.
For a more in depth summary, please take a look at that post – My Drug of Choice.
My drug is dopamine.
To end my post, I asked you to guess which chemical I’m addicted too. I got answers via my Facebook page and email from several of you. And I got some guesses of both.
If you guessed dopamine…you’re right.
I’ve experienced living in both a cortisol and dopamine fueled world, and I’ve come to hate a life run by cortisol. I avoid it at all costs.
Not so much with dopamine. I’ve moved through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. There is nothing like the feeling of seeing my phone lit up like a Christmas tree after a post – like after retweet after like.
It’s unhealthy.
My worth is not measured by my latest post, but all those shots of dopamine tell me otherwise.
What’s your drug?
Let’s be real. Left to our own devices, we are going to gravitate toward one of these natural chemicals, if not both. Once we get a taste of them, it’s hard to stop. To the extreme, both are harmful and even deadly.
Both can lead to bad decisions, broken relationships, health problems, lost income and even death.
Which is your drug?
If you don’t know the answer, ask yourself this. Can you put your phone (or cigarette or beer) away for 48 hours? Can you turn it off and put it in a box for 2 days?
Is the answer no?
Or ask yourself this. Do you live or work in a culture where you aren’t worried about blaming (anyone) or being blamed (about anything)? Do you expect to confront or be confronted at work or home in the next 72 hours (and then another 72 hours later)?
Is the answer yes?
If you answered no to the first 2 questions or no to the second 2 questions, you may be living in a dopamine or cortisol world.
You can be free (and you can lead).
5 years ago, I would have truthfully answered yes to all 4 of those questions. Today, I think I could honestly answer no to all 4.
In 2012, my Word of the Year was FREEDOM. It’s taken me 4 years, but I’m truly learning to be free from dopamine and cortisol. It pops up on occasion, but my newfound freedom has cleared my head, so I can see what is happening.
You can be free too. You can be free, but you have to want to be free.
Simon Sinek wrote his book to encourage leadership. To be effective leaders, we need dopamine and cortisol, but we need them in healthy ways and in a healthy amount.
Our surrounding culture today tells us leadership is the opposite. It tells us we need a dopamine and cortisol filled environment to lead well.
It’s a lie.
You can lead, and you are needed to lead, but you don’t need more dopamine or cortisol to do it.
What you need is freedom. Because when you’re free, you’ll lead better.
Get free.
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