The Power of Having a Reason to Wake Up

31 Mar 2026 5:49 PM

Much like a plant doesn’t need to be pulled upward to grow ….it simply needs light, water, and nutrient-rich soil — the human body responds to the right conditions. When those conditions are present, healing begins.

The Power of Having a Reason to Wake Up

One of the most important of those conditions is purpose.

Not a grand, overwhelming life mission — just something that makes you wake up and say:

“I’m looking forward to today.”

The Japanese call this Ikigai — loosely translated as “a reason to live” or “a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

Research into ikigai has shown strong associations with longevity, reduced mortality, and improved psychological wellbeing (Sone et al., 2008).

When you wake up with purpose, your brain engages its motivational systems — particularly dopamine pathways.

Dopamine: More Than Just Feeling Good

Dopamine is often misunderstood as simply a “pleasure chemical.”

In reality, it is deeply involved in:

• Motivation and drive
• Goal-directed behaviour
• Energy regulation
• Learning and adaptation

Neuroscientific research shows that dopamine plays a central role in activating behaviour and sustaining effort toward meaningful goals (Berridge & Robinson, 1998).

When this system is active, the body shifts toward engagement and growth.

When it’s absent?

We see the opposite:

• Reduced motivation
• Increased fatigue
• Decline in immune and physiological function over time

Chronic stress and lack of purpose have been linked to suppressed immune function and poorer health outcomes (McEwen, 2007).

Eating: Fuel or Emotion?

Another observation — particularly evident on Kokoda — is how often people eat without hunger.

Not because the body needs fuel, but because of:

• Boredom
• Stress
• Loneliness
• Habit

Research in behavioural nutrition confirms that emotional eating is strongly linked to stress and negative affect, rather than physiological hunger (Macht, 2008).

The problem?

When we consistently eat to regulate emotion rather than nourish the body:

• Metabolic health is disrupted
• Energy regulation becomes unstable
• The body carries the long-term cost

A simple principle emerges:

Eat when you are hungry — not when your emotions tell you to.

Joy, Laughter, and Healing

On the Kokoda Track, we deliberately use humour and laughter — and interestingly, illness is rare.

This aligns with both ancient wisdom and modern science.

Traditional healing systems in China, Japan, and India recognised that:

• Laughter was medicine
• Music restored balance

Modern research now supports this.

Laughter has been shown to:

• Reduce stress hormones like cortisol
• Enhance immune function
• Improve cardiovascular health (Bennett & Lengacher, 2006)

Positive emotional states — including joy — are associated with improved resilience and longevity (Fredrickson, 2001).

Joy is not just a feeling.

It is a biological signal that tells the body: “Keep this person alive.”

The Hidden Cost of Emptiness

One of the most powerful experiences I’ve had was walking Kokoda with an 86-year-old man.

He was still working — not because he had to, but because he wanted to.

He had purpose.

He had direction.

And he had life in him.

In contrast, I’ve seen many people who retire without replacing work with meaning… decline rapidly.

Research supports this observation. Loss of purpose and social engagement is linked to increased mortality and cognitive decline in older adults (Boyle et al., 2010).

It’s not just age that wears people down.

It’s the absence of a reason to keep going.

 

So Here’s the Question

What is your reason to wake up tomorrow?

Not your job.
Not your responsibilities.
Not what others expect from you.

What pulls you forward?

If you can’t answer that clearly — that may be the most important thing to figure out.

Not next year.
Not next month.

Today.

A Few Simple Truths

Borrowing from a bit of Irish wisdom:

• Don’t live someone else’s schedule
• Don’t eat when you’re not hungry
• Don’t sleep just because it’s night
• Find what makes you forget time exists
• Do more of that

Because at the end of the day:

Your body wants to survive.
You just have to give it a reason.

 

References

• Bennett, M. P., & Lengacher, C. (2006). Humor and laughter may influence health. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
• Berridge, K. C., & Robinson, T. E. (1998). What is the role of dopamine in reward? Brain Research Reviews.
• Boyle, P. A., et al. (2010). Purpose in life is associated with mortality among community-dwelling older persons. Psychosomatic Medicine.
• Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology. American Psychologist.
• Macht, M. (2008). How emotions affect eating. Appetite.
• McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation. Physiological Reviews.
• Sone, T., et al. (2008). Sense of life worth living (ikigai) and mortality in Japan. Psychosomatic Medicine.