Why You Should Never Charge Your Watch With Jumper Cables

Overcoming the Adult ADHD Motivation Gap: Part 3

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If you try to power a wrist watch with jumper cables...
You might be shocked at the results.


Using the right power source with the right device matters.

Once we find those sweet spots of passion-driven activities....
How can we best leverage them for maximum, beneficial impacts?

We want to engage in these high-interest, high-curiosity, flow-generating activities just regularly enough to reset our Default Mode;
To retrain our mind, body, and whole being to a New Default;
To carry that energy & drive to our work & everyday life.

But how do we identify and properly leverage the power source(s) with the right "device(s)", in the right setting(s)?

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations;
We fall to the level of our conditioning."

- Archilochus

Experiment → Evaluate → Iterate → Practice (with Support)

For most of us, it takes some experimentation, evaluation, getting feedback, iteration, & finding the right support to help us find & connect the right pieces.

What's a healthy amount of time spent on these activities?

Not so much that it’s addictive or disruptive.
Not so little that it’s just enough to be distracting in unhelpful ways.

Hobby for pleasure without getting paid vs. Hobby for pleasure with getting paid?

Does getting paid for the passion-driven activity ruin it for you?
This may indicate this is better served as a primary hobby, spending significant amounts of time with it each week.

Paid Hobby vs. Profession?

Does the idea of turning this into a product, service, or project that can serve others excite you?
This may a be a good indication to consider a paid Hobby or Profession.

Do you have the requisite skill sets to do that yourself, or lead a team of others to create it? Maybe this is a good fit as a business, or a pitching as a project internally, with an existing company.

Get Support

If you need help sorting through how to best leverage what you've been learning, consider finding a mentor, coach or course in that space.

Find support to help you intentionally iterate & optimize the ways you incorporate these activities into your life for the most beneficial results.

APPENDIX

What kind of frameworks are out there that can help me figure this out?

There are LOTS of frameworks we can leverage as aids to filter & evaluate our experiences & experiments! Find the one that works best for you.

One of my favorites is a very simple, powerful framework:

The Japanese Art of Ikigai.

Venn Diagram Illustrating the Model Used in the Pursuit & Art of Ikigai. Originally posted in an article for the Toronto Star, by Neil Pasricha, of the Institute for Global Happiness,

The Ikigai Diagram in Words:

There are 4 overlapping circles forming a Venn Diagram. I’ll begin at the top, and go around the diagram clockwise, spiraling in through the overlaps, until we reach the center, where all 4 circles conjoin.

The Big Circles

Circle 1

What you LOVE.

Circle 2

What the World NEEDS.

Circle 3

What you can be PAID FOR.

Circle 4

What you are GOOD AT.

Where Two Circles Overlap

Overlap: Circles 1 + 2

(1) “What you LOVE.”
+ (2) “What the World NEEDS.”
= MISSION

Overlap: Circles 2 + 3

(2) “What the World NEEDS.”
+ (3) “What your can be PAID FOR.“
= VOCATION

Overlap: Circles 3 + 4

(3) “What your can be PAID FOR.”
+ (4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
= PROFESSION

Overlap: Circles 4 + 1

(4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
+ (1) “What you LOVE.”
= PASSION

Where Three Circles Overlap

Overlap: Circles 1 + 2 + 3

(1) “What you LOVE.”
+ (2) “What the World NEEDS.”
+ (3) “What your can be PAID FOR.“
= Excitement and complacency, but with a sense of uncertainty.

Overlap: Circles 2 + 3 + 4

(2) “What the World NEEDS.”
+ (3) “What your can be PAID FOR.“
+ (4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
= Comfortable, but with feelings of emptiness.

Overlap: Circles 3 + 4 + 1

(3) “What your can be PAID FOR.“
+ (4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
+ (1) “What you LOVE.”
= Satisfaction, but with feelings of uselessness.

Overlap: Circles 4 + 1 + 2

(4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
+ (1) “What you LOVE.”
+ (2) “What the World NEEDS.”
= Delightful. Feeling fulfilled. But no material wealth.

Where It All Comes Together: Ikigai

(1) “What you LOVE.”
+ (2) “What the World NEEDS.”
+ (3) “What your can be PAID FOR.“
+ (4) “What you are GOOD AT.”
= IKIGAI (roughly translated as “Reason For Being”)
Or as Steven Kotler calls it, a “Massively Transformative Purpose” (MTP).

Where Can I Learn More From Practical Guides on Ikigai?

Here is a great list 5 different books, where you can learn more about different approaches to Ikigai, depending on your interest:

The 10 Principles of Ikigai

& Ikigai 2.0 from Sloww.co

Kyle Kowalski of Sloww has a unique & altered take on Ikigai, including a practical guide & workbook, he calls Ikigai 2.0.

While these 10 Principles aren’t originally from Kyle or Sloww, the graphic is great, and I find is take interesting, & thought-provoking. It’s a great example of how someone can take a highly useful, broad framework, and successfully tweak it to fit their own situation, & in a way that resonates well with others.

10 Principles of Ikigai

  1. Stay active; don’t retire.

  2. Take it slow.

  3. Don’t fill your stomach.

  4. Surround yourself with good friends.

  5. Get in shape for your next birthday.

  6. Smile.

  7. Reconnect with nature.

  8. Give thanks.

  9. Live in the moment.

  10. Follow your ikigai.

1. Stay active; don’t retire. 2. Take it slow. 3. Don’t fill your stomach. 4. Surround yourself with good friends. 5. Get in shape for your next birthday. 6. Smile. 7. Reconnect with nature. 8. Give thanks. 9. Live in the moment. 10. Follow your ikigai.
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