Rationalizing our behaviors

How often have you found yourself rationalizing the behaviors that you want to change? Playing mental gymnastics in an attempt to back handspring your way into doing what you want vs what you need?

This isn’t unique and we’ve all done it. The key is to recognize this. Awareness is about reality. Awareness is about viewing oneself with non-judgement and objectivity. If we do so in earnest we can see our attempts to subvert our goals through rationalization clearly.

Our minds are capable of great feats. We tend to blame the emotional side for our transgressions in behavior change, whether it be food or drink or gambling. Yet we often use our rational, logical self to justify our behaviors. It is important to delineate which is which.

With practice, we can have these same behaviors work for us rather than against us. Create a system based on your personal values, your goals, and your reality. Be honest with yourself about your intentions and work towards awareness in all of your actions.

Growth is never easy, but we often make it harder than it needs to be.