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Everything Hinges on Your Ability To Do This One Thing

The loudest voices in our culture herald a consistent message. Go big. Go viral. Get busy.

Get distracted. Ooh! Look at this. Ooh! Shiny, shiny, shiny.

Perhaps you’ve noticed this, too.

The screens and software and computer devices we use are designed to train us to pay attention to them and nothing else. The way they sound, feel, and look are created so they become the center of lives. This isn’t cultural commentary as much as basic brain science.

As the Hugh McGuire observes in this brilliant article:

  • “New information creates a rush of dopamine to the brain, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good.”
  • “The promise of new information compels your brain to seek out that dopamine rush.”

Ever notice—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email, text—sets off a rush of dopamine. The rush causes us to develop behaviors that reinforce our behaviors. Responding soon becomes habit.

Start a project. Need dopamine. Check Facebook. Dopamine rush. Check email. Second dopamine rush. Hit refresh. No new emails. Visit Twitter for dopamine rush. Return to project. Repeat cycle again and again.

No wonder it’s so hard not to look at our phones when we feel the vibration or hear the ring or ping. Our brain science urges, “You want this. Just a peek.”

To continue reading, pick up a copy of Flourish: Live Loved, Live Fearless, Live Free, a 52-week devotional with coloring pages sprinkled throughout.

Flourish Devo

What would a flourishing life look like for you? Take a moment and imagine…

Instead of surviving your days, you savor each moment. You pour into the lives of others, and it’s a joy, not a chore. And every hour, you are deeply, dazzling aware of God’s love and presence.

God intends this flourishing life for you. And it can start today.

Grab a copy today.

Submit your name and email below to receive your free download on how to hang on when you are at the end of your rope. 

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