FSOC – The morphine of self-improvement

I’m still in Portugal, writing the 2nd edition of CLARITY: Clear Mind, better Performance, Bigger Results, and at the moment, I’m working on Chapter 18 – Penicillin for the Mind. It starts with this line:

“There’s nothing in this world that you can’t turn into heroin…”

The story behind that line is in this week’s article, “The Morphine of Self-Improvement” (link below), but it got me thinking:

Q: What’s the most addictive substance in the world?
Someone once asked me this question, and I started guessing:

Heroin? No. Crystal meth? No. Maybe fentanyl? No.

When I gave up, he said something that shocked me:

“The most addictive substance on the planet is human emotions.”

This statement has always stayed with me and struck me again as I was working on this chapter today.

The idea that people crave certain feeling states looks more and more compelling to me. But what do you reckon?

Q: What do you think about the idea that emotions are the most addictive substance on the planet?

You can let me know and see everyone else’s answers in the comments on this post in the Thriving Coaches Community. 

I’m looking forward to seeing what you think!

This week’s article: The morphine of self-improvement 

This is the article I mentioned above (it’s based on Chapter 18 of CLARITY): https://www.jamiesmart.com/the-morphine-of-self-improvement/

One From the Archives:  Addiction, Compulsion and Habits (and the solution to all of them) with Dr Mark Howard

The conversation you’re about to hear is one I had with my dear friend and colleague, Dr Mark Howard just before we recorded an ‘Impact Kit’ for my ClarityPro members.

Mark is a licensed psychologist who’s spent *decades* sharing the principles with people to help them recover from addictions.

As such, he’s probably the most experienced person on the planet when it comes to sharing the principles to help people break free from life-damaging habits and compulsions.

Mark and I first met ten years ago in Santa Cruz, when I sat in on a group session he was doing and I was blown away. Behind his gentle demeanour, I could sense a rock-solid certainty about what people have going for them. Mark and I became great friends and he’s one of the people I continue to learn from and be impacted by, so I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

By the way, if you’re a ClarityPro member, you’ll find the Impact Kit I mentioned in the Addiction, Habits & Compulsions module. You’ll hear Mark and I discuss how we work with clients around addictions, and some of the key distinctions and insights that inform that work.

This Week’s Video: Are love, peace and resilience really innate? Where’s the evidence?

This video is a 10-minute clip taken from the first module of a Clarity Certification Training. I’d been exploring the notion of ‘true identity’ with the members of the group, when I was asked this question:

“True identity is consciousness itself; I’m very happy with that. The question is, when we move beyond that, into defining that consciousness as having characteristics (such as stillness, love, resilience, truth, calm), where’s the evidence of that?”

Basically, where’s the evidence that these qualities are innate?

My answer both surprised and resonated with people.

Here’s the video. https://youtu.be/sa3i_TfUv5Y

Finally, I can’t wait to share the 2nd Edition of CLARITY with you. I’m due to submit the manuscript on 21st March (just 10 days from now) and the book should be in bookshops and on Amazon in the autumn of this year.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Big love,

Jamie

Jamie Smart, Sunday Times Bestselling Author, Speaker & Coach