Individual Flow Trigger: Curiosity/Passion/Purpose
Individual Flow Trigger: Curiosity/Passion/Purpose
The key to getting focus for free
In this edition, I’m breaking down the triad that boosts our attention, real word examples of it being applied, and well-being benefits from purpose.
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Oh we’re jumping right into this one and demystifying this “purpose” buzzword!
Curiosity/Passion/Purpose is a triad of intrinsic motivators that help provide focus for free. And triad is the key word. When all three motivators are perfectly stacked—especially once purpose is included—their power increases considerably
When John Hagel, the cofounder of Deloitte’s Center for the Edge, did a global study of the world’s highest performers, he consistently found that the “individuals and teams who got farthest fastest were the ones consistently tapping into passion and finding flow.
They’re 3/5 of the big 5 intrinsic motivators that provide psychological fuel that drives us into action.
Mastery is the 4th motivator, but as a flow trigger we know it as the challenge-skills balance.
And autonomy is the 5th one that works double duty as a flow trigger as well.
But you’re probably wondering how does this triad look in action..
How I Use Curiosity/Passion/Purpose 😎
I didn’t have the luxury of doing The Passion Recipe exercise (helps us discover our true curiosities and passions) and figuring out my MTP (massively transformative purpose) back then. Medical equipment and neuroscience research just hadn’t caught up yet.
But recalling those times, I can easily pinpoint each flow trigger/intrinsic motivator.
A couple of curiosities I had was: the business skills needed to run every department of a gym and experiencing the overlaps between sports and business. Being a District Manager allowed me to play in the intersection of these two curiosities.
Opening an office in Florence, Al was the going public aspect that cultivated some level of passion.
Of course, the passion recipe exercise wasn’t done at the time so I can’t make up an MTP.
But I can say an HHG (high hard goal = MTP broken down into a doable chunk with a timeline of 3-5 years) was to leave Florence better than I found it. And I believe that I accomplished that to some degree.
How The Greats Do Curiosity/Passion/Purpose 🤌🏾
Bubba Wallace curiosity increased from watching his dad race as a child.
His dad asked did he want to start racing and he said sure!
Over the years he’s grown to have a passion for it—even finding himself navigating through traffic searching for spaces to fit into.
And his purpose has evolved into drastically increasing the attendance of black people at NASCAR races.
Michael Phelps’ older sister was internationally ranked and traveled the world swimming which spiked his curiosity.
He was diagnosed with ADHD and swimming also became a form of therapy for him—staring at the black line at the bottom of the pool calmed his mind.
It was also a way to get off Ritalin and he was very passionate about achieving that.
Now, he has a purpose to advocate mental health awareness with athletes and believes improving your mental health is like taking weights out of a backpack you’ve always carried around.
The one on one aspect of tennis made Roger Federer interested/curious, so he quit soccer to fully pursue it.
He developed a great bond with his coach, Peter, as a teen player. Peter’s tragic death from a car accident was a wake-up call that boosted his passion and it drove him to play in honor of him.
He eventually fulfilled his purpose of holding matches in Africa—being that he’s South African and Swiss—with his philanthropic work.
Neuroscience Behind Purpose🔬
I wish I had a penny for every time I’ve heard or read “find your purpose”.
It’s one of those things where we get the “what”, as in it’s a good idea to do. But rarely know the essence of “why” it’s good or “how” to truly do it.
Passion is a potent driver. Yet, for all of it's upside, passion can be a fairly selfish experience. Being all consumed means you’re all consumed. There’s not much room for other people.
But if you’re going to tackle the impossible, sooner or later, you’re going to need some outside assistance.
Neurobiologically, purpose alters the brain.
It decreases the activity of the amygdala (processing center for emotions and security guard/bouncer for the brain), decreases the volume of the medial temporal cortex, and increases the volume of the right insular cortex. A less reactive amygdala translates to less stress and greater resilience.
The medial temporal cortex is involved in many aspects of perception, suggesting that having a purpose alters the way the brain filters incoming information, while a larger right insular cortex has been shown to protect against depression and correlate with a significant number of well-being measures.
All these changes seem to have a profound impact on our long term health, as having a “purpose-in-life” has been shown to lower incidences of stroke, dementia, & cardiovascular disease.
Additionally, from a performance standpoint, purpose boots motivation, productivity, resilience, and focus.
This Week’s Book Recommendation📖
In “Bold”, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler introduce the concept of a massively transformative purpose,” or MTP for short. Massively means large and audacious. Transformative means able to bring a significant change to an industry, community, or the planet. And purpose? A clear why behind the work being done.
Last Words…
Neurobiologically, on their own, curiosity, passion, and purpose has the potential to drive dopamine and norepinephrine into our system.
Stacked atop one another, their combined neurochemical surge is typically powerful enough to tighten focus and start to shift consciousness toward flow.
More critically, remember, passion is a fairly selfish experience. And purpose fixes the problem.
Passion produces ego-driven focus.
But purpose shifts our lens, putting attention outside ourselves, on the task at hand.
Once we’re focused on something outside ourselves, it’s a lot easier to get out of our heads and into the zone.
Hope this added the fuel to ferociously launch your week! ♾️🔥🚀
See you next Monday! 😎
And when it comes to the infinite game of life…
Choose Flow.
Be Brilliant.
Ball Out.
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