ENJOYMENT
Think about when you returned home unhappy after a demanding day working intensively and rushing around. Your physically exhausted body sends signals to your brain demanding a relaxed, lazy evening.
Now, consider the satisfaction and happiness you feel after another working day when you struggled and succeeded in learning something new, acquiring a new skill, or developing a new relationship. This time, instead of signals of weariness, your body and mind send messages of satisfaction, new energy, and joy. The thinking revolves around “how to perform better next time, how to do it with excellence.”
Could the difference be not in physical fatigue but in our perspective?
Let’s consider a day on a motorcycle. What could be the difference between riding a well-known road with a sense of satisfaction or feeling on the same route that you are throwing away petrol for no use?
The fundamental difference between the two scenarios is how our brains initially perceive the task.
For example, on a long motorcycle journey, covering regions we do not know, we return eagerly to the motorcycle every morning despite the fatigue, enthralled by the sense of exploration, discovery, and learning. If I were asked to take the same trip by car, we would scoff.
Experiencing the same physical challenges but having different sentiments (boredom or joy) at the end of the day depends on the level of “mental challenge” that the day activity provided. This is called being on the FLOW, where our mind accumulates new information, knowledge, and experience; in short, it evolves.
When we are not “on the FLOW,” all activities can turn into boredom or disappointment; even worse, time can slip away without us noticing or realizing.
To get and stay in the FLOW, we must push our goals and abilities beyond their current state. Curiosity comes into play at this stage, creating new stages of knowledge and development: “How can I take the same turn better next time? Why did the rear wheel of my motorcycle slide? Which is the advanced skill I need to exercise? Where is the best position to select a good line and an advantageous plan? Where is the alternative?”.
Curiosity prepares the mind to embrace new things, be focused, and be disciplined for new endeavors: “What excites me on this route? Why am I riding? How can I adapt the virtues necessary to be a good person to my life while riding a motorcycle?”
To be curious, we first need to be humble.
We need to recognize that we don’t know everything and acknowledge that we want to improve. After these critical steps comes ENJOYMENT, increasing the quality of the work and its value for us. Enjoyment reinforces learning as satisfying curiosity overcomes ignorance, challenges, and difficulties.
The pleasure obtained fuels curiosity again and propels the mind towards new goals.
An enjoyable learning experience sustains increased motivation, strengthens mental performance, stress reduction, and encourages creativity, positively impacting the process of acquiring knowledge.
ENJOYMENT increases by sharing the acquired knowledge, experiences, and skills. Even if we ride alone on a route, we want to share what we see, experience, and feel. Here, other virtues come into play: a measured approach, rather than arrogance, makes sharing more meaningful. Showing compassion and empathy without exaggeration and filtering only useful information strengthens relationships. Patiently listening and reaching consensus become keys to gaining new methods and perspectives, enriching the acquired experience.
ENJOYMENT is the final stage of the learning process and adventure, offering new stepping stones toward new horizons.
