Episodes
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Ep.1: The Philosophy of Mr. Happy
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Monday Nov 18, 2019
Chicken Mind Nuggets.
Hosted by Wifey
You can connect with me here:
Chickenmindnuggets.com
@mindchicken
References for this episode
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-athletes-way/201211/the-neurochemicals-happiness
Introduction music graciously provided by
Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Thinking Music" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Show script: (may differ slightly from spoken word)
There is a guy at a gas station I call Mr. Happy because he is always in a good mood and is so enthusiastic to see everyone that comes in through the door. I didn’t want to speak back to him because he was super friendly. The flight response in me was similar to seeing a dam spider or a serial killer who was chasing after me with a knife. I was startled because it was so surprising. How could this guy be so happy to see a stranger while working at a gas station? What made him so happy? Why am I miserable at work and he is happy to see me walk in the door?? He looks like a straggly old man, but has a light in his eyes that reminds me of devout meditators and people who stare intently at their lovers. He is the definition of happy and he found a way to portray happy while selling people gum and gas. His enthusiasm made any woe is me problem seem like nothing to worry about. Mr. Happy comes to work and makes the decision to make everyone's day better by changing the way they feel about entering into a corner gas station. His philosophy consists of being in the present, where worries about the past or future don't and can't exist. What he subtly teaches is that every now moment is an opportunity to be happy and he is so full of happiness that he can't help but share it with others. Reassuringly, he is no different than you or me. I realized that have made the choice throughout the years of continuous conscious and unconscious thought patterns to focus on the negative, but just like any other habit I can make it or break it when I’m ready. Mr. Happy made a habit of enjoying his life, and that is the best habit to have. All patterns are connections between neurons, and those neurons get stronger as you do the same things over and over. If you make a choice to be happy for one second and repeat that as much as you can, you have started to construct a habit framework. During that time your neurons fire differently, and you begin to construct your new pattern. If you think of it like a recipe, this process is full of ingredients which make the final product, but instead of eggs and butter, you are mixing neurochemicals. As you develop new patterns, you are unknowingly creating the "Joy of Cooking You" book and you fill it with recipes for happiness, or sadness, but all of them are your choice. What Mr. Happy tapped on is being a conscious master chef who openly shares his recipes with you. When you meet someone like him, it’s like you are cooking together and he adds in your brain bowl endocannabinoids which is the chemical that makes you feel bliss. As you keep going you add in Dopamine which fills you with the thought of being rewarded. Then the recipe calls for a teaspoon of Oxytocin which produces the feeling of bonding, like you and your cooking partner are besties. And lastly, you both top it off with Endorphin, which kills pain.
It is hard to be unhappy when you are around Mr. Happy, but without you realizing it, you handed him your recipe book and asked for the Mr. Happy ingredient list. When you experience a blissful moment, you are endowing the philosophy of Mr. Happy. You are practicing your recipe skills by making the same dish (hopefully a happy one) over and over again which not only strengthens your skills, but makes you a better YOU chef. This process is long, frustrating, and it can really suck especially when there is so much shit in your life that it is occupying your thinking more than the "don't think of a white elephant" phrase, but just like if you were making brownies, you will never get to enjoy them if you eat all of the raw mix.
You and I can be Mr. Happy, and I don't see why anyone can't be Mr. Happy either. As long as the pattern is started, you built something than can last. Keep the train going and if you fall off, get back on even if it is a few cars behind because unlike the railroad, there isn't an end in the train car links. It just keeps on moving.
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