On my THPL learning journey I love to combine a treadmill run with a video from a wicked smart person. It makes the time go by and I get a “two for one” deal – learning and fitness together. And today, somewhere on the way to 14 miles, I learned that ants, termites, bees and humans are collaborative species and it is their collaboration and cooperation that allows them to thrive and survive. And as I thought about the importance of the community (and cooperative) element of THPL it became clear that in our endeavor to live the THPL we find ourselves helping each other. And we do it not just for self-interested reasons but also because we are genuinely concerned about the well being (and performance) of others. It sort of makes us want to work hard to uphold a collective set of performance norms. And it turns out that we are intrinsically good at helping others. I think this is also why we like team activities when we can collectively contribute to the success of a joint effort for the benefit of the group, even if there was a personal cost, as it evokes feelings of satisfaction, pride, and sometimes even elation. So keep that cooperating going, it seems to have a big and positive impact on how we live and perform.

Loving life when we are cooperating with each other