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 How unconscious decisions can derail your resolutions
If you’re like most Americans, 2008 is coming with some strings attached. Perhaps it’s a commitment to lose weight or to stop procrastinating. Maybe you’ve made a conscious decision to be a better you.
Chances are, you’ve already slipped. That Hershey Kiss you tossed into your mouth, you probably didn’t think twice about it until it was too late. Surfing the Internet, checking e-mail and gossiping when you got to work…your intentions were better; you meant to dive right into a project.
The problem is, we rarely think about what we’re doing.
“Most of what we do every minute of every day is unconscious,” says neuroscientist Paul Whelan. “Life would be chaos if everything were on the forefront of our consciousness.”
This explains why learned behaviors, particularly those we would like to unlearn, are so difficult to break. We simply act on cognitive impulse.
So this year, instead of getting down on yourself for reaching for the candy jar, make a mental note of your action and emotional response. By understanding that many of your decisions are automatic, that you are not failing to meet your resolution because of a lack of willpower, it’s easier to think about your goals long term and develop a short-term plan for making them happen.
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