Dopamine for dummies

Last year, I learned something that proved helpful as the pandemic affected me, my family, friends, and my business, and it had to do with the brain. Several aha-moments came to me as I learned: how it works, what it needs, and what happens when it doesn't get what it needs. 

A tale about dopamine for managing well...    

My key learning relates to an unconscious thrive for quick dopamine boosts. Now, I  consciously aim at increasing the dopamine level more naturally to strengthen new behaviors. These include enjoying a slower pace of life, understanding motivational drivers, and appreciating my communities more fully. A lot of my insights are related to expectations of certain outcomes. It turns out, the expectations themselves are the main motivational fuel, not the outcome itself.

An inspiration in this space is Anna Tebelius Bodin, who has a Master's Degree from Harvard University, where she also assisted brain scientists. Author of several books, she is a renowned keynote speaker and course facilitator. Her teaching on the topic of the brain, learning, and motivation is very intriguing and inspirational. Anna was the first person who managed to share complex brain-related topics in a fairly simple way, and in a way that was possible to continue to explore on my own. 

This and related topics almost always show up in learning and coaching sessions with my clients. As such, I thought it would be helpful to share last year's interview with Anna.  Here is the link for you to tune in or share with someone you think would benefit as well. Let me know if you have any insights from taking part in the interview!