The Harley Consultancy

Tag: goodintentions

  • Why your good intentions are doomed to fail

    Why your good intentions are doomed to fail

    Your brain values long-term benefits when they are in the future (tomorrow), but it values immediate gratification when it comes to the present moment (today).

    The problem is that ‘today’ and ‘the future’ are handled by different parts of your brain, which often don’t collaborate well with each other. 

    So you bounce from one to the other and back again, not understanding why your immediate desirealways wins out over your good intentions.

    This is what happens when you really fancy some chocolate even though you are trying to lose weight.

    It is also why you keep on getting pulled into the dopamine hit of your phone even though you know you’re feeling more and more overloaded and burned out. 

    Which part of your brain is recognising this scenario? 

    Your Today Brain?

    Or your Future Brain?

    Or both?


    What can you do about this? Well, just knowing that you have two different parts in your brain that are pulling in different directions here is a really helpful first step. Seeing that it is a conversation (or a tug-of-war!) helps get some perspective that can help you start to choose which outcome you would like.

    #burnout #alwayson #goodintentions

  • Do Your Good Intentions Crumble?

    Do Your Good Intentions Crumble?

    “Each year I commit to getting healthier, but after a few weeks I make excuses about why I can’t go to the gym today or I give in to comfort food again. I just don’t understand why I’m so weak. I can be decisive – at work, for example – but not with this.” 

    I hear this lament from clients frequently. Does this happen to you, too?

    Crumbling intentions are such a common experience, so rest assured you are not alone. It’s perplexing when sincere intentions run out of steam after such a short while. We think we must be weak if we can’t stick to our plans.

    Several factors will be at play here, such as setting goals that aren’t clearly formulated. 

    What isn’t generally recognised is that our brain may also be working against itself. We set longterm intentions with our rational brain, which can plan, make decisions and employ will power to keep us on track despite temptations. 

    But immediate decisions are often made at an emotional level, through the secondary brain system found in the gut (hence ‘gut feeling’). 

    For many of us, the emotional brain is stronger than the rational brain, especially when it comes to sticking to personal wellbeing goals. It’s focused on what it wants now and cannot balance this against future consequences. 

    This is how we end up sabotaging good intentions through so-called ‘weak moments’. 

    Fortunately, the rational brain can be strengthened (just like using the gym to strengthen muscles) so that it is better able to hold its own.