Intention Potential 'Pendulum' Model
Quitting smoking, starting a diet, beginning an exercise regimen, taking up Spanish and the like are endeavors people often begin, but for any number of reasons, slowly lose interest in. Feeling defeated, many eventually turn away from their new goals. Maybe it’s because of the daunting amount of work that is necessary ; maybe the sacrifice and the sweat that’s required; maybe it’s because of the jitters that people fail; for what ever reason, many times people just don’t seem to be able to begin these endeavors, then stick with them; following them through to completion.
I have a plan that will help keep this from happening to you. I call it preplanning a decision to decide. Preplanning will ensure that once you begin a journey toward a goal, you will have thought it through. When you finally decide to actually go for it, you’d be able to stick with it to the end.
Deciding to decide sounds pretty redundant doesn’t it? The next thing you know, someone will be writing something telling you how to decide to predecide your decision.
The first few times I tried to quit smoking, though I really wanted to quit, I simply wasn’t prepared for what it would mean to accomplish this goal. The mental preparation had to be made before I found success.
However, with this article I am talking about allot more than just kicking the habit. I’m speaking of any attempt toward any goal that you might decide to reach for.
You have to know what part of yourself you’ll be challenging. Is it a craving? Maybe it’s a fear of failure or a lack of an ability to commit. What ever the reason, you’ve got to identify it then challenge it in micro steps to become familiar with what you will be feeling when you actually make the effort. For example, I finally did quit smoking, but it was after thinking just how difficult it was going to be, then preparing my self for the final effort.
How did I prepare? Let me tell you, I did allot of thinking. I weighed the pros and cons of the habit, I thought about myself one year in the future and realized that I could use that year to my advantage, or I could squander it. Either way, I figured, that year was going to pass. I then became familiar with what it would feel like to deprive myself of the nicotine, and I took a 6 hour period on a Saturday and did not smoke at all. I did this several times, and soon realized that ultimately, I ‘could’ decide what did and did not go into my body. Thankfully, it was upon this realization that I was sure I could quit for good. I purchased some nicotine gum which made the task somewhat easier, and even quit the gum after only 4 days.
You may decide that you want to begin an exercise program. Let me tell you, many people start them, but how many actually stick to them for a substantial amount of time? This is where the preparation is important. You see, at first, people only ‘think’ they want to start a work out regimen, so they spend allot of money on weights or tread mills, and even pay good money to local gyms only to give up after a few short weeks
When beginning something like this, a high degree of what I have termed ‘intention potential’ is required. I define it as the amount of mental preparation a person can make toward beginning a difficult task.
Picture a pendulum pulled back to a point where once it’s released, it will quickly swing. Before it’s released, it’s full of potential energy which (once released) will convert to kinetic energy enabling it to swing down past the center point, and up to a level almost in line with the starting point. Well, I believe our minds can be successfully manipulated by using this pendulum image as a model.
Think about it, how many New Year’s resolutions have been given up on shortly after a confident decision was made? In the model, the decision to do something equates to the pendulum being pulled back. How truly determined one is can be thought of in terms of how far back the pendulum is pulled. The farther back the better because the down, center, resting position is no change, and the farther you can get your imaginary pendulum to swing past that center point, the more likely you are to be successful at attaining your goal.
In the same respect, a week attempt, will lack the potential, hence the kinetic energy to move far enough from center to obtain success. Yes, it’s always easy at first to begin the journey toward a goal, but just like the pendulum, the degree of success you attain depends upon the amount of energy you put in. Also, at times, the closer you get to your goal, the more energy is required to continue that up-swing. This is what makes high intention potential so important.
Finally, I believe this pendulum model can apply to any difficult decision you might want to make that requires you to commit. When we hear someone say he/she is a dancer, or a pianist, we often feel inspired to take up the activity. At the same time, we rarely think of the hard work and sacrifice that was traded in order to attain success. This is why people often begin reaching for a goal, but seldom finish.
I know it may sound silly to decide to decide, but ultimately, when I think of all the failed attempts at self improvement, I believe sounding silly is of little consequence if I can help someone be successful. So, prior to committing to something, think about what will be necessary to reach your goal, then work up your intention potential as high as possible so when you finally decide to begin your journey you’ll be more likely to reach success.
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