Youre highly motivated to change, but you still cant seem to stop behaving in ways you hate. You have excellent problem-solving skills, yet you cant solve the personal ones that plague you the most. You know that if you do your job well, youll probably get a raise and/or a promotion, yet you go ahead and sabotage it. You know that if youre considerate of people youll be well liked, yet you cant stop being rude. You know that if youre careful about saving and investing your money youll probably enjoy a prosperous retirement, yet you spend carelessly. Why cant you figure out how to change your behavior and so change your life? Why, if what youre doing is making you unhappy, cant you stop doing it?
When we have problems that we cant seem to solve, many of us start thinking that were lazy, inexperienced, or maybe even unintelligent. We do this because its too scary for us to conclude the alternative. What is the alternative? That it may not be possible for us to be in control of our lives. If it were so easy to be in control, wouldnt we all just do it? Make the change, stop the pain, live happily?
Free Choice: Do You Really Have It?
This question of...