Each time I begin a new business, workout program, or side hustle, the first step is mapping out its potential. In total, I’ve performed this ritual 50 times over the past five years. A few days ago, I decided to do the same for Becoming Polymathic. This one would be different. It wouldn’t fall to the wayside and be forgotten in a few weeks like the other 50. That’s great, but what did it mean procedurally?
Going Beyond Brain Dumps
How would I physically map out Becoming Polymathic’s growth? What timelines were realistic? What are the milestones? I’d previously gone through similar questions, but never systematically. They were collections of randomly connected ideas, functionalities, and numeric targets. In other words, brain dumps.
A brain dump is not a map. Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard didn’t have a brain dump before deciding to explore the Mariana Trench. They generated the best visualization they could given the available information, then made allowances for unexpected events. It took 50 attempts, but I finally engrained that distinction into my head.
The reason for describing these mapping exercises is not to inform you about my plans to grow this outlet; that will be reserved for another time. It is to introduce the important distinction between processes and products – a distinction eluding today’s society to its detriment.
The Dopamine Dilemma: Living for Products
Processes are the steps one sequences through in pursuit of an outcome. They are instructions. Products are what result from one or multiple processes. They are outcomes. Products can be material – cars, trophies, cheat meals, etc. – or immaterial – achievement, ecstasy, praise, etc.. However, both material and immaterial products are made significant by one molecule, dopamine.
The Dangerous Pleasure Loop
Dopamine is commonly referred to as “the pleasure molecule” or “the reward molecule.” However, both definitions are misleading. The best definition is the title of Daniel Lieberman’s best-selling book The Molecule of More.
Dopamine is one of the most powerful neurotransmitters in our body due to its impact on our decision making. In short, if we perform an action affording a pleasurable outcome (product), our brain produces dopamine. That action is now associated with dopamine production, which makes our brain desire it more, which means dopamine is produced in anticipation of that action, deeming the action undesirable.
The problem with this loop is two-fold. First, our body has a limited amount of dopamine it can expend. When dopamine spikes in anticipation of an action, it means we have less available to perform it and all subsequent actions. This spike and subsequent decline are referred to as the opponent process mechanism.
The second problem lies in our brain’s inherent desire to remain in homeostasis. If a dopamine spike occurs, our brain must proportionally ration future releases to remain balanced. These lower levels are associated with depression, pain, and lack of desire.
A prime example of this peak and valley is the eponymous “championship hangover” following victory in championship round sporting events. Furthermore, the opponent process mechanism provides a concrete explanation to why former high-performing athletes allow themselves to degrade or have extreme difficulty giving up their chosen sport.
Embracing Healthier Pursuits: The Power of Processes over Products
When framed scientifically, it is easy to see why our society has been misled by physical and non-physical products catering to these peaky dopamine spikes. These spikes occur when we spend money buying that new car, staring at our social media in hope of a “like”, or relentlessly pursuing the hollow phenomenon of Hustle Culture.
Though these actions greatly benefit businesses, they leave us in poor health. Why then do we choose to glorify them? Why do we consciously make these shortsighted decisions every day? Simple; because they give us novelty, which is necessary to keep life temporarily exciting.
Training the Brain for Process Enjoyment
Instead of glorifying products, then, perhaps we should turn to the second “p” word mentioned – processes. Processes are often boring and take great patience. However, they are a healthier long-term pursuit.
If we leverage the same dopamine mechanism, we can actually train our brains to enjoy processes as opposed to products. Our preference as to what processes we enjoy is subjective. For instance, those who don’t enjoy exercise will not get the same dopamine release as somebody who does. However, if exercise is framed by those individuals as part of a greater purpose such as better mental health, then it becomes a necessity, not an option.
Attaching processes to these eternal intentions is powerful. The lack of an end product automatically forces the brain to seek intermittent, sustainable dopamine releases. As we now understand, controlled releases lead to less volatility in our overall dopamine levels, which lead to healthier internal and external relationships, and subsequently a healthier existence. A healthier existence is an altruistic goal, so why not glorify it and the processes we take to achieve it? At this point, that should be a rhetorical question.
Balancing the Demand of Products and Processes
To fully benefit from this alternative concept, one must understand the demand for both products and processes. Products demand arrogance and vanity. Processes demand consistency and humbleness. We may live in a society who values the former, but that doesn’t mean you are required to. You may be an outcast, but that is a small price to pay for the incorruptible, unassailable goal of purpose.
In hindsight, the 50 “maps” I drew were actually dopamine spikes framed as necessary steps to a seemingly greater goal. However, the goal I was actually pursuing was the good feeling associated with attempting to connect all the thoughts in my head onto a piece of paper – the brain dump. The 51st map I finished is not that. It is a map constructed to the best of my abilities with the knowledge and vision I currently possess regarding Becoming Polymathic. There will most definitely be another map, or 50. I don’t know how many more, nor do I give that number any significance. It is all part of the process…
Be More.
Become Polymathic.
Quote of the Week: “I hate luxury. I exercise moderation…It will be easy to forget your vision and purpose once you have fine clothes, fast horses and beautiful women. [In which case], you will be no better than a slave, and you will surely lose everything.” – Genghis Khan