My creations with Magdalena

Recently, I came across the works of Magdalena through a friend.

I contacted Magdalena via LinkedIn and then sent a note to say I would love to have a virtual coffee catch-up.  A few days had passed, and I had not heard.  So I gave up.  Then, the moment I gave up, I surprisingly received a Calendly link, and wohoo, I met her.

The 20-Minute Writing Exercise That Neuroscientists Say Can Solve Your Hardest Problems

The reason I wanted to meet her was the whole funding-and-grants mindset for ECRs, and the limitations researchers face with a few thousand here or there.  In the industry, funding is not (or has not been an issue - they just want results.  So I thought connecting Magdalena with the university, but before that, I need to connect on a personal note.  

 

I got an appointment on a Sunday morning at 9am and was super excited too, as per her message.

Key takeaways from our conversation:

1. Human doings versus human beings
2. Consumption versus creation
3. Internal and external life of a researcher 
4. Connecting Magdalena with the University to have her as a guest in Comms Program 

What I learnt about myself in this meeting:
1. There is always going to be an internal chat/conversation in the head 
2. Being present and what is it that I truly want - this morning, all I wanted was just to sit and listen to the birds - being in the present moment.
3. Human doing is all about what's next, all the actions and tasks pending, remaining
4. Human beings are about emotions, feelings, joy, sadness, happiness, disappointments, excitement, and what energises us.

When I am in the human doing it is so tiring, so unmotivating, so meh that I just want to procrastinate, be a sloth, do nothing, the zest, joy, fun is missing.  We also talked about information obesity.  We can see the food and its effect on our bodies, but when it comes to information overload or overconsumption, that tires the mind!

I also read what I had written about six months from now – that gave me goosebumps and a kick in the bum to say, Jaishree, go do and complete the lab work!  It works, it works, it does not work, that's also ok , we’ll figure something out.

 “Information obesity" due to overloaded digital consumption :-) versus choosing or diverting the energy!

I ask where is my focus? How is this serving me? Is this an investment or entertainment? If entertainment - is this a dopamine hit or have I had enough protein serotonin?

So the key lesson for me was when I feel exhausted from wanting to do something - is it from the heart or the head?  The head is all about human doing - overthinking - the thoughts, whereas when it is from a place of joy - I am living my life tothe fullest :-)