Men's (or people's) lives are guided by a fire within us. It is the fire that motivates us, or guides us to do rewarding things. In an ideal world, free of distractions, we would be continually pushing ourselves towards improvement. Being better. That's what dopamine does. It makes us feel good. And guess when is it released? When we do something rewarding. Something worthy. When we learn something new, or build something awesome or have sex or even eat. If we were living in harmony with nature, we would be constantly seeking these things.
However, this has been hijacked in this artificial world. We tranquilize ourselves with entertainment, games and drugs. Why learn something new when you can just watch a TV show of others doing fun stuff.We get fake experiences which are more interesting than real ones. We can’t get the action we see in movies in our real lives. The artificial world provides us with more dopamine than what we would have experienced if we actually did something. Which means real life stops being as fun since you are used to higher levels of dopamine. It's tragic, but true. I use the world tranquilized because it aptly describes the situation. We inject ourselves with these fake experiences and stay in a state of constantly being rewarded by dopamine.
However, you will still find yourselves remain unfulfilled. Something will stay missing. It's because you lack a mission. Something to fight against. You are defined by your struggles. And if there is no struggle, there is no growth. You stay the same and you start feeling unfulfilled.
The solution : start slow but find some mission. A keystone habit. (https://jamesclear.com/keystone-habits)
You could start with just working out. Not that mindless 'do whatever exercise you feel like'. Follow a proper program. Search for a program focused on progressive overload. Track your workouts. Keep increasing weights. Keep pushing yourself to just slightly above where you are. That's how you grow.
Start something new. Learn a language. Start reading books. Start with fiction if you absolutely cannot tolerate non fiction. You will find yourself enjoying fiction. Getting lost in the artist's world. You will also improve your writing style and your vocabulary. It will be better than mindless TV. Because it's helping you grow. Most TV shows are being produced to constantly stimulate your emotions. To get you hooked. Just do something. Build momentum behind it. And slowly, take more control of your life.
You cannot completely eliminate distractions. Watching a little TV is fine. Playing games in moderation is fine. But if you find yourself falling deep in the spiral, then you probably need to rethink that activity. At least you will have a better idea about your mind and how to fill your time after reading this. And that's how something good begins. By understanding. If you don't know why you are the way you are, you cannot expect yourself to change.
You won't wake up everyday feeling unfulfilled. You will feel better about yourself. Your confidence will rise. And you will get a better understanding of the world and your brain ( which is something this article provides). It is a man's duty to struggle. That's when we are happiest (if the struggle is worthy, something we like). Let the fire burn and let it lead you to better places. Stop feeding it with mindless stuff.
