By Brayden Funn
My native Hawaiian family had gathered one summer for about a month with plans to hold a big family photoshoot. As any Polynesian family would, we had scheduled to take the pictures at the end of the month so that everyone would have “plenty of time to lose weight.” Once the family diet crumbled immediately following the first cheat day, Grandma signed us all up (the whole family except for grandma and grandpa) for a 5K run. This was not without reward, though; we would be treated to a Chinese buffet for our participation.
During this race, a few of my cousins and I (all being around twelve years old at the time) recognized that the runners ahead of us were coming back along the same two-way road. The course was essentially a straight path to a beautiful view, then a return to the start/finish coming back down the same path. Not being used to the significant elevation difference that we were facing on this mountain in Utah, we decided to turn around—sneaking in with the runners that were headed back on the other side of the road.
Looking back at this experience, I question how we could have come so far along this mountain 5K run and simply turned around, just because we could.
Some of the greatest and most memorable moments in life often include achievements that take valiant effort. Naturally, when we accomplish something, safely pushing our bodies and stretching our minds, there is significant reward that comes with the subsequent achievements of these actions. Perhaps you are familiar with the neurotransmitter dopamine, also known as the feel-good hormone. When we accomplish something (e.g. finishing a 5K) that we are personally invested in, there is a spike in our dopamine levels. As a result, feelings of delight and exhilaration become increasingly present. Increased levels of dopamine also mean we experience an increase in motivation; accomplishing something that we worked hard for will often produce a desire to complete another task.
This cycle of accomplishment and motivation reminds me of an incredible speech by Admiral William McRaven, who actually illustrates this process without even mentioning the science behind accomplishing daily tasks:
Accomplishing tasks and goals that are personal and meaningful to you is a vital aspect of a flourishing life. Psychologist Catalina Lino reports the consistent findings that individuals who feel personally involved in their accomplishments have higher levels of well-being and better overall health. While running the 5K that my family had signed us up for, I knew very well that I could finish that race. It wasn’t a matter of “could I,” but rather it was a choice to turn around with my cousins because we didn’t want to push ourselves any further. We didn’t recognize the purpose of doing so. Had we pushed a bit further, we likely would have crossed the finish line with a very different feeling.
In life, we are blessed with the ability to make decisions for ourselves; we know who we are, and we know what will bring us true joy. There is significant joy in achievement—not just achieving one goal, but in accomplishing daily tasks that will ultimately result in more than simply a change in behavior. Ideally, consistent completion of personal tasks (i.e. daily responsibilities, weekly goals, yearly resolutions) will bring forth a change in one’s nature and ultimately result in consistent achievement. Were this the case for us in the 5K, the thought of turning around wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. Naturally, I would be finishing the tasks that I had set out to complete. I would have strived to be successful in accomplishing the thing I’d set my mind to. In doing so, I would have recognized the beauty of accomplishment and the role that it plays in overall flourishing.