Healthy dopamine/My most important self-foundation.
Who’s the boss of your dopamine supply? Let’s learn to be dopamine drivers, not chasers.
In the past, the content I created with my experiences of success and wisdom revolved around the themes of “charismatic apparel manager” and “active listening.” A DVD discussing active listening was recorded in 2014, and as time has passed, today marks the birth of a new crystallization of knowledge. Its proud name is “Symphony of Habits.”
Me: That’s a bit exaggerated, isn’t it?
ChatGPT: I apologize. I got a bit carried away there.
Perhaps it’s not an exaggeration after all. Over the course of these past 12 years, I have been practicing habits aimed at self-growth, improving communication, and achieving emotional stability. Before I knew it, I became capable of finding happiness within myself. I want to let my former self, who used to get easily affected by others’ words and actions, know about my current state. That’s why I wrote a letter to myself from 12 years ago, explaining my current condition.
Then, unbelievably, I received a reply from me in 2011.
”I can’t believe that my future in 2023 will be a life of slow and careful living and full of hobbies! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. (Omitted below).”
Feeling a bit carried away, I asked again ChatGPT for a letter from my future self in 2035.
“First of all, I want to say that the efforts and challenges you are making now will bear fruit. I know the goals and dreams you have in 2023. And I want to tell you that many of them are coming true. (Omitted below.)”
It almost felt like my future self from 2035 was somewhere out there, typing and sending me a message, creating an illusion of reality.
I received a LINE message from a male friend saying, “I read the blog post titled ‘To Hitomi in 2011.’ Back then, I would cry and laugh, experiencing thrills, but now, I feel like I’m lacking those emotions.”
I thought that perhaps there might be a shortage of brain chemicals that we experience during moments of thrill, so I googled it. I came across an article that stated, “Men seek thrills,” and it explained that the reason behind seeking thrills is to stimulate the release of dopamine, which may be deficient. When the concentration of dopamine decreases, it can lead to a diminished sense of excitement and even a decline in motor functions.
“Wow, that’s exactly it!” Laughter emojis filled the LINE chat. I’m sure dopamine was released at that moment.
When I think about it, I wonder if the reason my habits have continued is because the reward system nerves in my brain are continually stimulated Upon further investigation, I found that the best example of this was the habit of “input” and “output”.
I have been writing a blog every day for 19 years. To output, it is necessary to input, so my brain needs to engage in a continuous collaboration every day, which is said to activate the brain. Living with the premise of daily output makes me inevitably conscious of input, and because I also intend to convey it to someone else, I need to organize my thoughts and words. It seems like my boss is dopamine. Additionally, my meditation practice serves as a countermeasure against the stress hormone cortisol. I had created an awesome system in my brain. I had no idea that the management skills I had developed during my time at McDonald’s would create a symphony here!
When I looked back on the various habits I had started over the past 12 years, blogging was so obvious that I didn’t even list it. This is the most important self-foundation.
On June 1, I opened a new chapter in my 18th year of self-employment. I thank myself and take a new step forward with hope and excitement for the future. This Symphony of Habits is the best movement of my life and a proud moment for me to have created it.