We all have moments when we would like to do
something, whether that is going to the gym or calling our mother. But what gets us from the liking to the
doing? First, we must be aware of the
liking. Second, by definition, during
our state of liking to do something, we almost certainly are doing something
else that needs to end, or at least be radically reduced. Third, we must desire the future behavior
more than the current behavior or other competing behaviors. That is, we must expect a payoff for
switching to the future behavior.
Fourth, we must have the competence necessary to perform the activity to
reach the goal associated with the liking.
And fifth, we must have sufficient energy to perform the activity to
reach the goal associated with the liking.
Your good health intentions depend on the same
set of conditions described above. How
often have you said “I’d like to exercise more often,” but never actually did
so? Are you aware of what you would
like to do for yourself health-wise? I
mean explicitly aware, not implicitly aware.
Do you know what you currently are doing that is competing with your
good health intentions? Do you expect
that behaving healthfully truly will be more rewarding than your customary
behaviors? Are you confident that you
know how to implement the activity required for the healthful payoff? And finally, are you willing and able to
exert the energy needed to enact the healthful behavior?
Good intentions can break done at any of the
five steps. So you must be cognizant of
all of them and of how each specifically affects you personally.
Let's take a concrete example. Suppose you want to reconnect with a friend
whom you haven't seen in six months, and who lives an hour and a half
away. The only day you both have free is
Saturday. But Saturday is your usual
grocery shopping day. You should ask
yourself a series of questions. Is
seeing your friend more important than shopping on Saturday? Do you know how easily you can get to her
house and how you two probably will send your time together? Are you willing to dedicate three travel
hours to reconnect with someone whom you haven't seen in six months. In essence: Is this relationship sufficiently
rewarding and important to you that you are willing to "put yourself
out" to re-establish the connection?
The re-connection opportunity might be a minor
or major factor in your life. And that
obviously also will impact your decision to act relationship-wise rather than
merely to intend to act. Moreover, it could be a one-time decision, or the
prelude to more regular Saturday visits to your friend. The important issue is that every physical
health or mental health decision can be viewed through a similar lens. The more you understand your unique decision
process, the more you will be in control of your lifestyle. It is well worth your time and effort to
think about the five steps.
References
McCusker, P.
(2016). Don't Rest in Peace:
Activity-Oriented, Integrated Physical and Mental Health. New York: Amazon Createspace.
Kruglanski, A. W. (2017). Motivational phases
on the road to action. Motivation Science, 3(3), 196-207.
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