Summary

The article advocates for making decisions based on long-term goals rather than fleeting emotions to achieve a more fulfilling life.

Abstract

The article emphasizes the significant influence emotions have on our daily decisions, suggesting that up to 90% of our actions are emotion-driven. It highlights the tendency to act only when we feel like it, which can be detrimental during periods of depression. The author, who has personal experience with depression, suggests that awareness and a conscious effort to align actions with life goals can break this cycle. By setting and pursuing short-term and long-term goals, individuals can overcome the impulse for instant gratification and make decisions that serve their future selves better. The article encourages readers to experiment with this approach for 24 hours to become more aware of their decision-making process and to strengthen their resolve against fluctuating feelings.

Opinions

The author believes that our actions are predominantly driven by emotions, which can lead to inconsistency when feelings are low, such as during depression.
It is expressed that becoming aware of our emotional decision-making is the first step towards change.
The author shares their personal struggle with depression and how they overcame it by not letting emotions dictate their actions.
The article suggests that aligning actions with goals rather than feelings leads to better long-term outcomes.
It is emphasized that making decisions based on goals requires discipline and can be liberating, as it helps in becoming the person one aspires to be in the future.
The author challenges readers to observe their decision-making for 24 hours to recognize the influence of emotions and to start making more goal-oriented choices.

Stop Acting Based on Your Feelings, Do this Instead

It is said that up to 90 percent of our actions are based on our feelings, or emotion. We don’t realize that we are making all of our decisions based on emotion, because we aren’t truly present, in the present. If you think about it, it makes more sense.

When do we ingest food? When we feel hungry.

When do we do our work? When we feel it’s necessary.

When do we work out? When we feel we have the energy.

When do we sit down to write? When we’re in the mood.

Everything has to do with what we are feeling. But what happens when we are feeling depressed?

When we are depressed we don’t do that thing we usually do, that thing we had been doing. We stop moving towards our goals and pursuing our hobbies. We feel tired and so we sleep more. We ignore the phone call from a friend because we don’t feel like talking.

Forget how you feel. Just check in with yourself for 24 hours. You will notice how all your decisions are based on how you feel at the time, and we rarely make a decision that goes against our feelings. Until, you become aware.

I have struggled with depression for several years. I know what it’s like to not feel like doing something. Until just recently I was a slave to how I felt, always following how I felt and never questioning it. Now, I know how to take a step back and ask the question, how does this line up with where I want to go with my life? Is this something I should be doing?

Now, I write regardless of how I feel. I wake up early every morning to get a 3 mile walk in before work. I eat foods that are healthy and nutritional for me. I drink lots of water.

I continue to do the actions that will lead me where I want to go in life. This involves acting regardless of how I feel, most of the time.

I spend time each day studying even when I don’t feel like studying at all. But I know where I want to go in life, and studying is a necessity. And so, instead of putting it off, I put the work in each day.

Sometimes my actions line up with my feelings, and that is great. I simply ask myself, is this what I should be doing? I’m careful not to ask, is this what I want to do be doing.

When we act based on how we are feeling we more often than not are making decisions based on instant gratification. We decide based on what we want right now. But what we want in the moment isn’t usually what’s best for us in the long term.

It’s important to set goals for yourself. That way you can make decisions based on your goals, and not your feelings. Make short term goals and long term goals. Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly goals.

Once you set your goals, aim to make your actions line up with the fulfillment of your goals. If you can line all your actions up with your goals, you will no longer be making decisions based on your feelings. You will have mastered and overcome decision making and you will be well on your way to achieving a better life for yourself.

Remember, there will be plenty of days when you don’t feel like doing what you really should be doing. Whether it be writing, or eating healthy, or getting to work early. The answer is to make sound decisions regardless of how you feel. It truly is liberating once you start to act based on who you want to be in the future, and not how you feel in the moment.

Feelings come and go. Your resolve is something that you should work towards strengthening, no matter how you feel. And the more you make decisions based on goals you have set, the easier it will become to ignore your feelings.

I challenge you to try it out for 24 hours. Check in with yourself and notice how you make decisions. I bet you never even realized just how many things you decided based on how you felt.

Good luck to you.

All the best.