Deepak Chopra

Not to be overlooked on our journey to maximum performance and longevity is the gift of the human spirit. Maximum performance requires harmony of body, mind and spirit. So does a long happy life.
The Bible has much to say about this, but more in the sense of moral guidance than a vital component of good health and longevity.

Within our minds is the ability to create our own happiness through the release of brain chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine.

Learning “emotional intelligence” gives us control over our emotions so why not be happy?

The most important lesson that I have learned is that true happiness comes from how much of ourselves we give to others. We often think of doctors or missionaries as selfless servants of the people, alleviating pain and suffering and indeed, they are.

But almost every calling provides the opportunity to serve others through the enthusiasm we bring to what we do. Our not being indifferent to their experience is the heart of human interactions and I try to never waste that moment to touch a life in a positive way.

One of the words I equate with spirit is joy. We are capable of feeling joy and so is my cat who frequently gets the zoomies.

During my workshops, I ask participants to make as long a list as possible of things that give them simple joy. Some struggle to come up with even a few while others are scribbling away. 

Then I ask them to write the date of the last time they performed that joy producing activity. For many this is an aha moment.

The average life expectancy has fallen from seventy-nine just a few years ago to seventy-five currently. In hours, it only comes to 657,000. That is all there is to an average lifetime. I’ll bet you thought it was more, way more. You can do the math if you want but I’ve done it more than once and it always comes out the same.

Someone once said that if you love what you do you will never work a day in your life. I often think of musicians who bring joy to others while answering a soulful calling. Between music maker and music listener there is a shared joy.

They say the definition of a musician is someone who loads five-thousand dollars’ worth of equipment, into a five-hundred-dollar car, to drive one-hundred miles, to play a fifty-dollar gig.

It is hard not to envy someone who is spending their life doing what they love to do.

Spirit, what is it? 

Why is it important to the pursuit of maximum performance and longevity?

The human spirit is characterized by a deep sense of empathy, compassion, and a desire for connection with the world and others. 

Non-religious spirituality encourages individuals to explore their inner selves, engage in mindfulness, and connect with nature, fostering a sense of peace and purpose. It is a journey of self-discovery and introspection, where individuals can find meaning and fulfillment beyond traditional religious beliefs.

Some people joyfully engage in the world around them while others focus only on themselves. Wouldn’t it be awesome if putting forward positive energy was the key to better health? 

So, I asked AI if there were health benefits for doing things for others? 

It said that while religious and spiritual beliefs support the idea, there is no scientific evidence that it is true.
So, then I asked, “Isn’t the production of brain chemicals such as endorphins and dopamine scientific evidence of the health benefits of being thoughtful toward others?”

It answered, “Yes, the release of endorphins, dopamine, and other “feel-good” chemicals is considered scientific evidence that doing things for others provides psychological benefits and contributes to overall health.”

Note: One thing I have learned from my occasional use of AI as a feedback device is that the information skews heavily toward a particular narrative. They don’t really want us to believe that by doing things for others we will feel better for and about ourselves, be healthier and live longer.

It seems like they want as many of us to hate each other for as many things as possible. See (Sickness is a Business Plan).

Psychological Benefits: Engaging in acts of kindness and service is consistently linked to increased personal happiness and well-being. This is often referred to as the “helper’s high,” where the brain releases feel-good chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin, leading to a sense of reward and reduced stress.

Purpose and Meaning: For many, the act of contributing to the well-being of others provides a strong sense of meaning and purpose in life, which is a fundamental component of human flourishing. It allows individuals to feel they are part of something larger than themselves.

Social Connection: Altruistic behavior strengthens social bonds and fosters a sense of community. By helping others, individuals build stronger relationships and a more supportive social network, which is crucial for mental and emotional health.

Empathy and Compassion: Focusing on others cultivates empathy and compassion. These qualities are essential for healthy human interaction and can lead to a more fulfilling and connected life. 

In essence, the act of giving can be a powerful driver of the human spirit, bringing life and energy to individuals and their communities alike.

Beyond the immediate “high,” numerous studies have linked regular helping behaviors (like volunteering) to long-term health advantages: 

Reduced Stress: Kindness has been shown to lower levels of cortisol, the primary stress hormone.

Better Physical Health: Research has linked regular altruism to lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

Increased Longevity: Some large-scale, long-term studies have found that older adults who volunteer regularly have lower mortality rates than those who do not volunteer, even when accounting for their existing health status. 

In essence, the physiological responses triggered by helping others provide the biological basis for the general principle that an altruistic lifestyle can lead to greater happiness and better health.

Optimism

What causes a man to launch a rickety ship onto a great uncharted sea in search of something worth dying for? 

Who turns a shovel full of dirt in the worst part of town and thinks luxury condominiums?

No great undertaking would ever begin without a reasonable belief that success was a possibility.

The connection between human spirit and optimism is profound and multifaceted. Optimism is not just a mindset but a spirit that embodies hope, resilience, and a belief in positive outcomes, even in challenging circumstances.
It encourages individuals to look beyond immediate difficulties and to envision possibilities that might not be readily apparent. This optimistic spirit can create a ripple effect, inspiring collective positivity and fostering creativity and innovation. 

By choosing to approach issues with an optimistic lens, individuals can take constructive actions that lead toward favorable outcomes, altering the course of their lives and the outcomes they experience.

Attempting anything requires movement, movement creates friction. Friction creates resistance and sometimes pushback. Sometimes even those closest to us may want us to fail.
Nothing is more universal to human experience than defeat. 

Every Sunday during the football season, half of the teams will lose, often for reasons beyond their control. Every contest, one competitor is defeated. But sometimes we just give up.

Ross Perot observed, “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.” 

That means that virtually all limitations are self-imposed. We quit before we really fail.

With apologies to Vince Lombardi, winning isn’t the only thing…well, unless your job hangs in the balance as his did. 

Winning and losing are two sides of the same coin, the alternative to which is not playing. Some people are so afraid of losing that they will not compete and that is sad, because they not only miss out on the experience, but they never come to grips with losing as a part of life.

Competing, never mind the outcome, everyone wants to win, competing is what is important.
Elon Musk is an accomplished man by anyone’s standard. But success and failure are also two sides of the same coin and Elon has had some doozies. When one of his massive rockets blew-up on the launch pad he said, “We learned a lot.”

He said, “Musk once said, just because something has a high probability of failing doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”
An optimistic spirit opens the door to a rock-solid faith, a sense of righteousness of purpose, and belief that determination and persistence will prevail. This, and not fearlessness, is the essence of true courage.

“A success is a man who goes from failure to failure without losing his enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill.

The Runner Who Came in Dead Last to the Sound of Cheers

The time was 1968. The Place, Mexico City. The Man, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania. The marathon runner arrived in the Mexican capital as the reigning African champion expecting to bring home Olympic gold.
At 7,349 feet the air is thin, and few athletes are as affected by the altitude as distance runners. Nonetheless, anticipation ran high for the supporters of the Tanzanian harrier.

Then, about mid-race, Akhwari stumbled striking his head and dislocating his knee. Confused, he struggled to get back to his feet, wobbled, fell again, and struggled back to his feet. With blood streaking down his face, he wrapped his leg in a makeshift support of pieces of cloth and began to run again. Only 20 kilometers to go, he thought.

In a race where 18 out of the 75 starters couldn’t finish because of the lack of oxygen, Akhwari was also struggling to breathe properly but he kept on running. 

The runners call it the “wall”. It’s the point at which your body has nothing left. He kept running and running but at some point, he couldn’t run anymore, still he kept on limping toward the finish line. 

It was dark of night when Akhwari arrived at the Olympic Stadium. The medals had been awarded and only a handful of spectators remained.

But those who stayed began cheering wildly when he arrived at the track.

Lifted by the crowd, he started running again. Even with a debilitating knee injury, he ran the last few hundred meters to finish the race a hero.

And what was it that propelled him on through the pain to finish a race in last place? Responsibility to his countrymen. He later remarked “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.”

Imagine the joy he felt for being a patriot? For enduring painful sacrifice out of a responsibility to others only to show up last in the record books.

Beyond the vitality of our bodies, beyond the potential of the human mind the one thing that will have the greatest positive impact on maximum performance and longevity will be how much joy you can drum up around you.
Set your course, pull-up anchor and sail in the direction of spreading joy.

The body is the vessel, the mind is the tool, the spirit is the compass, the voyage is life. Work hard, stay focused, build value in yourself and joyfully give it away and you will wind up right where you were intended to be.

Are you ready to learn your biological age and how to reverse the ageing process starting right where you are? Go here, Thorne Health Panel.