Hedonic adaptation. Hedonic adaptation is a cool concept brought to us by social psychologists and positive psychologists. So years ago, psychology was really the study of sick people, depressed people, people who might have had anxiety. And let’s say roughly 20 years ago, people like Martin Seligman, the pioneer in the field of positive psychology, people like Sonja Lyubomirsky, they’ve been studying happy people,positive people, and it’s been called positive psychology. And one of the interesting things, from my understanding, my readings in positive psychology, is really the concept of hedonic adaptation. I’ll give you one of the best examples I could share with you. You let’s say have a goal. And you know, a few years ago that goal was almost impossible. It was like your heroic goal. It was your mighty why. You thought to yourself, “If I ever could only reach this goal.” Let’s say it was sales of your business, let’s say it was a level fitness, let’s say it was a level of love in your intimate relationship. Well, you said, “If I ever could reach this, it would be incredible.” Well, what happened? Through your focus, through your grit, through your daily practice, through your consistency, through your relentlessness, through the installation of world-class routines, you’ve arrived at that place. And probably for the first couple of weeks, it was really wow. You were full of energy. It was amazing. You almost had to pinch yourself. “I can’t believe I’m at this level. I’ve always wanted to get to this level.” And then hedonic adaptation settled in. And what was once impossible now became your new normal. And it’s just a really cool concept to remember, which is you’ve always wanted a certain type of car, you get that car, you love that car for the first few weeks, and then hedonic adaptation settles in. You settle in and you adapt to that next level of wonderfulness, or that next level of success, or that next level of fitness, or that next level of income, or that next level of service to the world, and it becomes your new normal. And so ordinary people say, “Wow, I’ve got to a place I never thought I’d get to. Let me coast out the rest of my life at this level.” But champions and just think about, let’s say, an athletic champion. Theythinkcompletely different. Yesterday’s best performance is today’s new normal. And so the world might look at you and say, “Well, why don’t you become complacent and content with this incredible place that you’ve arrived at?” But the game played by the champions and the icons and the titans is how can I actually take where I am today and get to a completely new level tomorrow? And it’s like Jordan, he wins the first world championship for the Chicago Bulls and looks at the audience and the media and puts up two fingers. And he gets the second a year later, or when he gets the second world championship, instantly, that moment, he’s thinking about the third, and three fingers out. He gets the third. And when he’s holding that trophy, the fourth goes up. And that is that’s really what makes a legendary performer. It is this relentless pursuit of something better. And part of it is yes, the trophies and the accolades and the worldly success, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But the real game of the epic performer is an internal game. And it’s all about who you can become. How much of your potential can you capitalize on? How much can you achieve? How far can you go? Because for the epic performer, there is no finish line. The top of one mountain only allows you glimpses of the next mountains to climb. And so for the person who really wants to be the finest of the very best, greatness has no exit point. Please understand that concept of hedonic adaptation, it’s really valuable. And I guess the real philosophical point is be content and be grateful every day, but never lose the fire in the belly to win, because that is what makes the champion. That is what makes someone who goes down in history and becomes legendary in their industry.
