The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

The fifth best book I read this year was written by Paul Smith and titled, The Ten Great Stories Leaders Tell.

In it he writes, if you tell your people a boring, irrelevant story, even if delivered beautifully, your audience won’t forgive you for wasting their time. In other words, WHAT stories you tell is more important than HOW you tell it.

Stories are:

• Aids to decision-making

I’m going to do a two-part series next week on the ten stories.

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

All week we are talking about our Body’s System based on what Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Our bodies employ a system of primary chemicals in our body that contribute to feelings.

These include Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol. Today we are focusing on Cortisol.

Cortisol is another new one for me, although my wife knew about it – she is smart you know. Simon helped me out though with his description in his book, Leaders Eat Last. He wrote: Cortisol is a chemical in our body that is responsible for stress and anxiety. That “gut feeling” of danger. Spider Man’s spidey sense (Simon didn’t write that – I just like Spidey).

This chemical was intended to be short-term. Think caveman stumbling on a saber-tooth tiger. Fight or flight – ready . . . GO!  Yet those of us who hate what we do or hate who we are with, release this chemical often. By releasing cortisol, you are literally combatting the good results from the other chemicals.  Cortisol isn’t “bad.” It’s just meant for short term survival type results.

Our friends at the Mayo Clinic reveal that Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain's use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or harmful in a fight-or-flight situation.

Does Healthline.com have a list for us to lower our cortisol levels? Why yes, yes they do:

1. Prioritize sleep and get enough for the night (7-9 hours)

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

All week we are talking about our Body’s System based on what Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Our bodies employ a system of primary chemicals in our body that contribute to feelings.

These include Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol. Today we are focusing on Oxytocin.

Simon Sinek wrote in his book that Oxytocin is most people’s favorite chemical. It’s the feeling of friendship, love, or deep trust.  Unlike dopamine, it is a long-lasting feeling.  

Medicalnewstoday.com provides fast facts on oxytocin:

• Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus and released during sex, childbirth, and lactation to aid reproductive functions.

How do we increase oxytocin? We go to our friends at Healthline.com who provide twelve ways to boost oxytocin:

1. Yoga

They admit in their bottom line that Oxytocin research isn’t conclusive, and there’s still plenty for experts to discover more about it. Oxytocin, while beneficial, isn’t a cure. It can’t repair a damaged relationship, give you empathy, or help you become more trusting on its own.

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

All week we are talking about our Body’s System based on what Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Our bodies employ a system of primary chemicals in our body that contribute to feelings.

These include Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol. Today we are focusing on Serotonin.

Let’s look at how Hormone.org describes Serotonin.  Serotonin helps regulate your mood naturally. When your serotonin levels are at a normal level, you should feel more focused, emotionally stable, happier, and calmer.

In Leaders Eat Last, author Simon Sinek writes, Serotonin is the feeling of pride. Chemicals are released in our body when we perceive others like us or respect us. 

WebMD.com reveals some interesting information about Serotonin: Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that helps relay signals from one area of the brain to another. Although serotonin is manufactured in the brain, where it performs its primary functions, some 90% of our serotonin supply is found in the digestive tract and in blood platelets.

Continued from our readings at WebMD.com, there are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels may influence mood in a way that leads to depression. Possible problems include low brain cell production of serotonin, a lack of receptor sites able to receive the serotonin that is made, inability of serotonin to reach the receptor sites, or a shortage in tryptophan, the chemical from which serotonin is made. If any of these biochemical glitches occur, researchers believe it can lead to depression, as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety, panic, and even excess anger.

Finally, what do our friends from Healthline.com have to offer with the seven foods that could boost your Serotonin. They list:

1. Eggs

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

All week we are talking about our Body’s System based on what Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Our bodies employ a system of primary chemicals in our body that contribute to feelings.

These include Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol. Today we are focusing on Dopamine

Dopamine is responsible for allowing you to feel pleasure, satisfaction, and motivation. When you feel good that you have achieved something, it's because you have a surge of dopamine in the brain according to HealthDirect.com

Infoactionrecovery.com shares how dopamine drives our behavior. Dopamine levels impact mood regulation, muscle movement, sleep patterns, ability to store and recall memories, concentration, appetite, and ability to express self-control. When there is an imbalance in this chemical, a person cannot function at an optimal level.

Healthline.com lists 10 ways to increase dopamine levels naturally

1. Eat lots of proteins

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

#knowTroy #DWUpodcast #bodysystem

All week we are talking about our Body’s System based on what Simon Sinek wrote in his book, Leaders Eat Last: Our bodies employ a system of primary chemicals in our body that contribute to feelings.

These include Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Cortisol. Today we are focusing on Endorphins.

Endorphins are the body's natural painkillers. Endorphins are released by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland in response to pain or stress, this group of peptide hormones both relieves pain and creates a general feeling of well-being.  (health.harvard.edu article on mind and mood).

People with low levels of endorphin may suffer from depression or fibromyalgia. Fi-bro-my-al-gi-a is a condition that causes pain all over the body. Sleep problems, fatigue, and emotional and mental distress.   

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

We continue to build momentum at the start of 2022 with sharing our talents, gifts, or skills to others for free.  Kaye Ramos wrote a beautiful blog on Thrive Global titled, Seven Inspiring Reasons Why You Should Use Your Talents or Gifts.  (We’ll give her a break on using the “s” word – should).

Here are her reasons:

1. Other people can benefit from your talents, gifts, or skills

1. You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.

1. Making money isn’t your purpose however when you give your talents, gifts or skills, you will grow opportunities for future revenue opportunities.

1. Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God – Leo Buscaglia

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

Ghandi is credited with this quote: “Live like you are dying tomorrow. Learn like you will live forever.”

What is it that you need to learn more about? Is it your job? Side-hustle or hobby? In my experience, people know where they need to improve. The question is, do they want to improve. I did a podcast last year asking the question, do you want to get better. Wanting to improve means you are going to sacrifice something in your life to allow the time needed to learn about or how you want to do something.

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

As a kid I loved watching Star Wars. In the second movie released, we watch as Yoda trains a young Luke Skywalker in the ways of a Jedi. It is there when he tells Luke, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

The definition of try is to make an attempt or effort to do something.

Notice it is before you do something.

When I found this for our New Year’s party, I thought about removing the word “try” then I reconsidered because this does apply with the thoughts and battles within your mind.

What is it that you haven’t made an attempt to do and you’ve been curious about doing so. For the moment stop thinking about the reason why you haven’t attempted it, just think about the activity.

Now write that activity down. This year I want to try (fill in the blank).

The Daily Wake Up Micro-Podcast

Some may wonder what the importance is of establishing a word for the year. For me it helps create a foundation of what my year could be. Last year, in 2021, my word for the year was trust. I was unemployed. Early in the year, there were problems in our family because of the continued stress of the pandemic.  If it I didn’t have the word, TRUST, it would have been extremely difficult to overcome worry.

For me, I attach the word of the year with a passage of scripture from the Bible. As you know, I’m a religious person, however you can still find value in establishing a word for the year even if you don’t believe in God.

My word for 2022 is PREPARED and it’s paired with 2 Timothy 4:2: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction.

Reading that helps fulfill the word PREPARED for me. Later in that chapter it reads: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

When you establish a word for the year, you have something to hold on to. Something that will remind you and keep you focused on what you want to accomplish for the year.