Sometimes a powerful question for personal change has the obvious answer of “no.”
For example, are you sure you want to eat that donut? And be one step closer to being unhealthy, maybe even diabetic and hypertensive? Is that who you want to be?
The power lies in connecting motivation with identity, which in turn is shaped by values. If you value short-term pleasure, then no wonder why it’s hard for you to resist that donut. But if you affirm your values of purpose and vitality, then the siren song goes down a few notches.
Let’s go back to that donut. What if you answer: “Who I want to be is someone who’s so healthy that I can enjoy life with my loved ones.”
I know you may still want that donut now and worry about life later (no thanks to temporal discounting). But I’d bet it will at least make you think twice before sinking your chompers on that sugary and fatty concoction.
So the next time you want to defeat that bad habit or spur yourself to be better, ask:
“Who do you want to be?”
May 28, 2024
0 Comments