🌟[TT] Alysa 🧠
“I love struggling, actually.” Alysa Liu says, with her emphasis on love.
Can I take a moment to highlight this remarkable young woman?
The joy and determination in this free spirit is just wonderful to see!
At 13, Alysa became the youngest-ever U.S. women’s national champion.
At 16, she competed at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, then walked away from the sport entirely. Burned out. No joy left.
She came back two years later. And last Thursday, in Milan, she won Olympic gold!
The thing that struck me most wasn’t about the medal (I’m super impressed, for sure!). It was the quote I heard her say in an interview clip, “I love struggling, actually. It makes me feel alive”
For Alysa she said the outcome didn’t matter. What she loved was the process.
Wow! Love it so much. This embodied what I talk about a lot in my workshops and writings. I live and breathe it: “the process is the goal.”
This is the opposite of outcome-driven thinking, of wishing it was all over just to get there.
So many people do this with health habits too… which sucks the joy out of it I think!
What can we do instead? The process… enjoy the process 😊
Here are three examples of how I coach people to fall in love with the process (all relevant to brain health benefits). I hope this gives you ideas for personalising this for yourself.
📍3 Tips for Loving The Process, for Brain Health
[1] Move with Joy
Pick one song that makes you want to move, and just move to it.
Dance, walk, stretch.
No target, no metrics.
Well, maybe enjoy the 150min spread over the week may be a good metric 😊
Remember last week’s [TT] on how music tempo helps with enjoyment and pace (see a T3 win in the PS of this post!)
The right music makes your brain read movement as reward. That counts!
[2] Cook for Fun
Eating more whole foods and less ultra-processed food (UPF) matter for brain health.
But this intention tanks when eating well feels like a chore.
One of my past BRA(i)NS® Method Migraine Mentorship students shared that learning about nutrition for her brain inspired her to search for recipes to cook with her partner. An activity they enjoy looking forward to on Sundays, with extra meals cooked and frozen for the busy week ahead!
Think of how you can make healthy eating fun. Perhaps a trip to the Farmer’s market to source some in-season juicy tomatoes or leafy greens (for your taste buds and a Magnesium boost!)
[3] Enjoy the Pause
When brain health habits feel like a to-do list, your autonomic nervous system starts to associate them with stress.
Ah, stress. That word again. Do this instead, take purposeful pauses, e.g.
Three slow breaths.
A mindful cup of tea.
One moment of space.
Enjoy the reset. This is not indulgence. It’s regulation.
📍Why your brain loves the struggle
Your brain’s dopamine system is active while you’re working toward a goal, not just when you achieve it.
It continuously tracks how rewarding the effort feels, driving motivation and reinforcing learning along the way. When the process feels meaningful, your brain can make the struggle itself feel worth doing.
Growth mindset also changes how your brain handles mistakes.
People with a growth mindset respond to errors differently at a neural level. Rather than shutting down, their brains show greater engagement in encoding the correct information afterwards. The fixed-mindset brain treats error as threat. The growth-mindset brain treats it as data.
Alysa Liu didn’t just have a feel-good comeback story. She demonstrated what a process-focused brain looks like in action. She came back not for medals, but for the love of the doing. Her brain rewarded her for it.
So did the judges, as it turns out.
And the same system is available to all of us, every time we choose to enjoy the process.
📍Question for You This Week
What’s one brain health habit that feels like a chore right now? What would make the process itself enjoyable? I’d love to know!
Wishing you joy in the process (struggles and all),
Dr Sui Wong
PS – I loved reading your replies to last week’s [TT] on Music Beats! One of our Thursday Tips Tribe posted in the BRA(i)NS® Clarity Community that 120 bpm music got her running faster, even up a hill. That made my week!
Come join us in the BRA(i)NS® Clarity Community. Being part of a community of like-minded people accelerates action and implementation.
And I have something more to encourage you to join us: I’ve been working on an AI tool to help you kickstart your brain health habits. Current members of the BRA(i)NS® Clarity Community will receive free early access as my thank you. Come join us in the free group of like-minded people and some positive brain health chit chat 😊 https://www.skool.com/dr-sui-wong-brains-group-3768/about
PPS – The Mindful Cup of Tea meditation is inside the Community, ready when you need it.
References:
- Mangels JA, Butterfield B, Lamb J, Good C, Dweck CS. Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social cognitive neuroscience model. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2006 Sep;1(2):75-86. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsl013. PMID: 17392928; PMCID: PMC1838571.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17392928/ - Hamid AA, Pettibone JR, Mabrouk OS, Hetrick VL, Schmidt R, Vander Weele CM, Kennedy RT, Aragona BJ, Berke JD. Mesolimbic dopamine signals the value of work. Nat Neurosci. 2016 Jan;19(1):117-26. doi: 10.1038/nn.4173. Epub 2015 Nov 23. PMID: 26595651; PMCID: PMC4696912.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26595651/ - Salamone JD, Correa M, Ferrigno S, Yang JH, Rotolo RA, Presby RE. The Psychopharmacology of Effort-Related Decision Making: Dopamine, Adenosine, and Insights into the Neurochemistry of Motivation. Pharmacol Rev. 2018 Oct;70(4):747-762. doi: 10.1124/pr.117.015107. PMID: 30209181; PMCID: PMC6169368.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30209181/ - Michely J, Viswanathan S, Hauser TU, Delker L, Dolan RJ, Grefkes C. The role of dopamine in dynamic effort-reward integration. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020 Aug;45(9):1448-1453. doi: 10.1038/s41386-020-0669-0. Epub 2020 Apr 8. PMID: 32268344; PMCID: PMC7360543.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32268344/
FAQ
- Why does loving the process help motivation?
Your brain releases dopamine during effort toward a goal, not only at achievement. When the process feels meaningful, motivation becomes more sustainable. - What is the difference between growth and fixed mindset in the brain?
A growth mindset engages neural systems involved in learning and error correction. A fixed mindset activates threat responses that can reduce learning efficiency. - How can I make healthy habits feel more enjoyable?
Attach habits to pleasure, music, social connection, or mindfulness. When habits feel rewarding, the brain reinforces them more strongly.
Summary
Focusing on process rather than outcome strengthens motivation, learning, and resilience. Dopamine is released during effort, not just success, reinforcing progress over perfection. A growth mindset supports adaptive neural responses to mistakes, enhancing long term behaviour change. Enjoying the process transforms brain health habits from stressors into sustainable rewards.
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Dr Sui Wong Empowering Your Brain Health 
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