18 Where coulds go
"Most people don't think they "could" cure Alzheimers by snapping their fingers, and so they don't feel terrible about failing to do this.
\nBy contrast, people who fail to resist overeating, or who fail to stop playing Civilization at a reasonable hour, feel strongly that they "could have" resisted, and take this as a license to feel terrible about their decisions.
\nAs I said last week, most people have broken "coulds.
\nWillpower is scarce in this world. Sometimes, you can will yourself out of a mental rut you're in, but only rarely; more often, sheer force of will alone is not sufficient. If your plan to stop staying up too late playing Civilization is "well I'll just force myself harder next time," then this plan is doomed to failure. If it didn't work last time, it likely won't work next time. Willpower is a stopgap, not a remedy."
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\nOriginal post: http://mindingourway.com/where-coulds-go/
\nFind Nate Soares at http://mindingourway.com
\nFind Gianluca Truda at http://gianlucatruda.com
\nReplacing Guilt is written by Nate Soares and produced, with permission, by Gianluca Truda. The theme music is a remix of Algorithms by Chad Crouch.