Get Serious about Having Fun
At 5:45 in the morning, my alarm started buzzing like a bad bed partner snoring during a perfectly blissful sleep. Sure, I was the one who set it, agreeing to join my cycling group for a 6:30 am ride, but that was last night, after a glass of Pinot Grigio when everyone makes promises they don’t necessary intend to keep.
Who set the ride at 6:30 am in the morning, anyway? Sitting up in bed, I had to make a decision. Do I go back to horizontal bliss, or go for it, get vertical, shoot down a double shot of espresso, and put my bike in the jeep?
Too tired to think, I laced up my shoes, and took off to meet the gang at the trail head.
By then the espresso kicked in, and once the rubber met the road I was off, enjoying the indescribable quiet of early morning.
Suddenly, everything came together: my breathing, my leg muscles pushing and pulling the pedals with perfect cadence and finally the euphoric feeling of endorphins flooding my body.
Throwing my bike back in the jeep, I remembered, that’s what I woke up for!
Breakfast of champions
Getting your endorphin fix first thing, is what makes or breaks your day. Your metabolism increases, your appetite decreases as your blood is now circulating throughout your body rather than in your digestive track. Brain fog is lifted, as well as low grade depression. Suddenly, everything in your day changes perspective, and you instantly own “the law of attraction.”
If you’re serious about success, then get serious about having fun.
Passionate activity is as important to your physical/emotional health as work is to your wallet.
Just because you “grew up” doesn’t mean your heart stopped craving fun. Ignoring your psyche’s need for passion, is akin to not showing up to work and wondering why you aren’t receiving a paycheck.
Passion fuels the body, soul, mind and spirit releasing neurotransmitters far surpassing any antidepressant drug on the market. Getting in the “flow” of being lost in your favorite activity, favorite hobby, favorite book, brings you to a euphoric state of bliss flooding your entire body with a dopamine, oxytocin high.
How to get More
Happy Hormones (neurotransmitters) are identified as serotonin, dopamine, endorphins, oxytocin, and are responsible for all the emotions we feel. So, how do we get more?
Simple. By doing the things you love, anything that gets your heart pumping. Schedule time out for fun, just as seriously as you would schedule an appointment.
What’s your Passion palate?
Outdoor Activities
Make the world your playground. Be creative and expand your mind. Discover activities other than structured sports as tennis, golf or skiing. Physical activities pumps your body with endorphins, yet combined with something you’re passionate about is a double whammy chemical cocktail of serotonin.
Make sunset a ritual as time to shut off work purposely going outdoors for a big gulp of oxygen. Take a break, perhaps a beach walk, or maybe a bike ride to an outdoor cafe. Ever try riding a bike on the beach in the sand getting splashed by the surf? How about twilight golf at sunset?
Whatever you choose, learn to shut off work, and turn on fun.
Interests
Interests are more passive than activities, releasing different neurotransmitters. They stir your heart and capture your soul.
Most Importantly, interests activate the creative side of your brain making it impossible to be in conflict.
When you’re in the “flow of cooking, gardening or reading a good book,” it gives your brain a chance to escape, and tap into those delicious happy hormones.
Try something new, as it releases dopamines triggering positive feelings.
Adventures
Adventures are exploring the unknown, doing something you have never done before, going somewhere you have never gone before, and meeting people you have never met before.
Adventures are important. They expand your life and keep it exciting. Without adventures, life tends to shrink into a monotonous routine.You can take an adventure on another continent or in your own backyard. Check into a local 5 star hotel, splash in the pool, and order room service in bed.
It doesn’t matter where you are as longs as it stirs your heart with excitement and gets that oxytocin flowing.
Unstick your stuck life, and get serious about having fun,
-Lisa Hamilton / The Hamilton Post
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