Curiosity 101, Part-2
Soul Letter #23
Hi folks, Shubham here.
Last week’s Curiosity 101 got an amazing response. It has had the best open rate till now. Several readers messaged me saying they loved it.
Continuing with the flow I am writing Curiosity 101, Part-2.
Hedonic Treadmill
This is one of my favorite theories.
Have you noticed people who stay upbeat even though they are struggling in life, in contrast to others who have all the comforts of life yet keep moaning?
Well turns out there is a concept called Hedonic treadmill.
The hedonic treadmill is a theory which states that people repeatedly return to their baseline level of feelings, regardless of what happens to them.
What does this mean?
I am sure you must have set a goal: maybe a job promotion, or buying a car which you assumed would make you happier. Achieving them did make you happy but surprisingly the joy didn't last for long. Within a few days, you were back to your old default state aiming for the next achievement.
Therefore if you aren't happy with your current circumstances, accomplishing a specific thing or desire wouldn’t alter that either. I am sorry to break your myth :(
What then?
Naval Ravikant says “If your morning coffee doesn’t make you happy, buying a yacht won’t either.”
So my dear friend the next big job, an exotic vacation, an i-phone, or a new home won't provide everlasting pleasure.
Start practicing to be content from within, with what you have.
I am not against material possessions or taking vacations. I myself love buying sports accessories or the latest gadgets, but I am smart enough to know what to expect from them.
Mind-Wandering
I have read a couple of books that talk about focus, deep work, and flow state. Most of them preach how our attention span is decreasing due to over-stimulation, constant context switching, excessive use of gadgets, and so on.
We can't focus on our tasks for long, and our concentration is hindered.
Whenever I get distracted while doing a specific chore, I admonish myself. The annoying thing is most of the time it happens innocuously and takes considerable time before I realize it.
However, I read a very interesting article on Mind Wandering by Nir Eyal.
Nir corresponded with Professor Ethan Kross, who is the director of the Emotion & Self Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan and author of Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It.
According to Professor Kross, Mind Wandering is normal. We spend between a third to a half of our waking hours not focused on the present. Some neuroscience research refers to our tendency to mind-wander as our default state.
Mind-wandering serves several valuable functions. It helps us simulate and plan for the future and learn from our past, and it facilitates creative problem-solving. It often gets a bad rep, but it’s a psychological process that evolved to provide us with a competitive advantage.
After reading this, I am a little soft with myself, but I still try to keep the diversions minimal.
As it turns out mind wandering is a natural process yet it can turn into a distraction.
You can read the full article where Nir explains how to tackle the problem.
Sam Walton, The Entrepreneur
Sam Walton opened the first Walmart store in Rogers, Arkansas.
Initially, he thought of opening the second store in Memphis. It made sense because a larger city will support a larger store which means more profit.
However, he ended up opening the second store in a small town called Bentonville, which was closer to Rogers.
Why?
Sam recognized that having his second store near his first would allow him to leverage existing resources.
For example, he'll be able to share shipments and deliveries more easily, take advantage of other logistical efficiencies, and much more.
It eventually became his master strategy where he opened new Walmart stores in small towns, which were closer to already established setups.
No wonder, Sam Walton is admired by the entire entrepreneur community.
The lesson here is simple. Whenever we plan to do something new in life, try to use the existing resources/infrastructure which might aid us.
PS: There’s also a story that Walton’s wife refused to move to Memphis due to which he opened the store in Bentonville 😅
Final Words
These were a few fascinating things I read recently.
Hope you guys enjoyed today’s edition.
Let me know in the comments if you found any of the above accounts interesting or wanna share your insights on them.
Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️