Humans are naturally lazy.

A long time ago, laziness was evolutionarily important. Our ancestors didn't have seemingly endless supplies of food at the supermarket. Cars did not exist, there was no electricity, and water didn't exactly come out of a faucet in their kitchen. Our ancestors had to walk everywhere they went. If they were cold, they had to gather wood for a fire or kill an animal to wear its fur. Food had to be hunted or gathered, and the closest source of water was much further than the kitchen sink.

The point is – resources weren't easy to come by. So when our ancestors weren't in need of anything of importance to their survival, they wouldn't want to expend much effort and energy, otherwise they would need more resources. Back then, laziness was an important survival mechanism.

What social psychologist Amy Cuddy presents here is remarkable – the mind doesn't just influence the body, the body also influences the mind. Striking a “power pose” for two minutes causes a scientifically documented increase in confidence (testosterone level) and decrease in stress (cortisol level).

This finding is profound! And it's applicable to our everyday lives. In any stressful situation (job interview, public speaking, evaluation, competition etc.) a two minute “power pose” can make you more confident and less stressed.

In our lives, we should always seek to learn, to grow and improve as people. This is a lifelong process, we must never stop stretching our boundaries. In considering this a couple weeks ago, I wrote a list of 7 things I should strive to improve at.

1. Actively seeking new, scary experiences. New experiences are captivating and expand one's comfort zone. It's good to do things that push our limits and stimulate learning. The excitement is on the edge and that's where I want to be.

You know that rare moment of clarity you get every once in a long while? That 30 seconds of brilliance, many times beyond the ordinary capacity of your brain, where you undeniably know you should do something. Maybe you just fully grasped a situation, can see beyond your fears, have an idea to create something great, realize a untouched niche in which you could start a business, or know you need to change a certain aspect of your life.

I had the brilliant idea one day to ride a bicycle across the United States to raise money for a non-profit children's hospital that saved my life. I had no idea what to do or how to do any of this (besides ride a bicycle). That same day, I just decided I was going to do it and kept progressing towards my goal. By the time I finished, I was an expert at bicycle touring, charity fundraising, conversing with strangers, TV interviews, and bicycle maintenance. I won a $10,000 scholarship, wrote a featured journal, had my photography published, raised nearly, $100,000 for my cause, inspired others, gained so much confidence, and altered the entire course of my life. Did I have any idea what was going to happen? Nope, I mostly feared getting hit by a car or my efforts going unnoticed.

Alan Watts, the man credited with bringing eastern philosophy to western civilization, lays out a simple logical argument for doing what you really want to do in life.