TN50#180_Dopamine Election 2024_04 November_2024

Hi Team,

We’re finally getting some snow at 6,200’ here in Colorado, just in time for Election Day, 2024.   And speaking of Election 2024, according to U.S. News and World Report $16,000,000,000, yes BILLION, will be spent in the elections this year – but that’s just an estimate of the total and doesn’t include all the $$$ moving around below deck.  Does that seem a little ridiculous to you?  It does me.  (Article referenced)

Happy Monday and Happy (it’s almost over) Election 2024 Eve.  Welcome to The Next 50 #180. I like to think of personal performance in 3 components: physical, mental and emotional.  My framework focuses on 4 Buckets: Eat, Sleep, Move and Think.  This blog is my sandbox for sharing information that you might find useful for your personal performance.

Without going into the why, I’ll simply say that ever since Trump was almost assassinated in Pennsylvania on July 13th of this year this election cycle has sucked me down the politics rabbit hole like no election ever has in my life.  Here’s what that looks like day to day.

  • I’ve slept worse
  • I’ve drank more
  • I’ve wasted many hours looking at headlines and watching news shows
  • I’ve experienced what can only be described as anxiety
  • I’ve even been itching for a fight from time to time

And nothing I’ve watched, heard or read since July 13th has changed who or what I voted for!  Not one change.  So yes, really… really proud of myself for all of these amazing accomplishments I just acknowledged.  Right?

THINK is one of the 4 buckets in my Better Basics Performance (BBP) Framework.  One of the headline topics in the BBP THINK bucket is: Recognize Useless Thoughts, with the subtopics of: Resistance, Distraction and Victimhood.  In the BBP program we work on disrupting these “Useless Thoughts” with simple practices like setting our intentions during our morning quiet time, so our minds are on the lookout and ready to stop these useless thoughts or actions when they first pop up or even before they pop up (which is some Yoda shit for sure).

Regarding this election and the BBP Framework, I would give myself a D- or F on “disrupting Distraction”, AND it’s my framework!  Gees.  So I’m guessing this must be what an addiction to Social Media is like and regardless of what the addiction is it’s, in some way, all about dopamine, so here’s how I’ll attempt to make lemonade out of lemons.

The Official Dopamine Nation Workbook, by author, Dr. Anna Lembke, MD was released on 1 October 2024.  If you haven’t read Dopamine Nation, you should, I assume I’ll be rereading it as I go through this workbook I just ordered.  My hope is that I can quickly get back to a normal baseline of interest with politics and learn a lot about dopamine and how we can break the hold of distraction even when dopamine has us cornered.  I’ll report back soon.

Want to join me?  Drop me a line, if an occasional Dopamine Nation Workbook – Workshop (as in a Google Meet or whatever) sounds good to you: alex@fpp.llc.

Who do you know that could use this information? I bet you can think of a couple of people before you click the next email, please share the post with your team and anyone who might find it useful and let me know what you think!

Have a good one,

Alex

PS. Vote, vote, vote!  I, like more than 70% of Americans, feel the United States is on the wrong track, but I also believe “We the People” of these great United States of America are still the citizens of, “the world’s best hope” (Thomas Jefferson) and “the last best hope of the world” (Abraham Lincoln). Let’s GO!

PPS. If you’re new to First Principles Performance Coaching, here’s a one stop shop for all my stuff.

PPPS. Ready to perform at a whole new level?  Email me so I can introduce you to my new BBP Coaching opportunities!  alex@fpp.llc