Goblin Mode

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This week’s Blog:

“The goblin mode is the opposite of trying to improve.”

The quotation above is from this article.

Constant evolution is the key to success, and using the data points to see trends before, during, and after they happen is a tool I’ve cultivated over the last thirty years.

In recent weeks, “goblin mode” has gotten a lot of attention on social media platforms and even in regular media.

The struggle to return to self-improvement is as real as it gets post pandemic.

After a ton of data collection, it’s looking like people are not back to pre-pandemic behaviors.

If there were a device that tracked personal ambition on a societal scale, I’m pretty sure it would read “low.”

We are struggling with the return to our own normal.

There is anxiety and stress, and it’s all real.

Tony Robbins said something like the number-one thing people desire is certainty, which is closely followed by their obsession with uncertainty.

New variants, shutdowns, intermittent mandates, and fear have created an addiction to comfort and escape.

Doomscrolling early in the pandemic provided some people with security. It is now a legitimate psychological term.

The airports are full of people willing to overpay for trips, hotels, and experiences—an extension of the dopamine surge we crave on a much larger scale.

The desire to feel comfortable and cared for is a completely normal occurrence in the human brain.

The problem is that the scale has swung too far in that direction, and our prefrontal cortex has taken a beating in the past two years. It handles executive problem-solving, organization, emotional regulation, critical thinking, and decision-making.

We have given that critical part of our brain a break while allowing the pleasure centers to flourish. The problem is that the pleasure centers are supposed to only work in short bursts because, you know, we need to survive.

This is what I’m seeing in our county and in our business.

Surfing, hiking, bike riding, Yoga, 10,000 steps, meditation and traveling are all activities that are baby steps towards actual improvement.

They feed the pleasure center but unfortunately don’t support survival. We need this, but we also need to do uncomfortable work like strength training and high-intensity bursts that challenge our systems.

It’s time to start thinking long-term again. We will all be better for it.

~TJ