A few months ago, I interviewed a behavioral economist named Dr. Stephen Wendel on my podcast. He suggested an idea that’s so crazy it might work.
We were discussing the fact that people often stand in their own way; there’s a gap between intention and action. We know what we “should” do, but we don’t follow through. We procrastinate. We make excuses. We act against our own self-interests.
We have an image of our ideal self, we have the reality of our current self, and it’s harder than expected to bridge that divide. Why?
Most people try to figure out the problem. “Why can’t I stick to my goals?” But during our interview, Stephen turns this conventional wisdom on its head.
Maybe we should approach this as treatment first, diagnosis second.
He suggests that you try a handful of solutions. When you find the one that works, you’ll know the problem.
