Overcoming Impulsivity: How to Make Choices That Align with Your Goals and Values

Ever find yourself making choices you regret almost immediately? Discover how to break free from this cycle of self-sabotage and impulsivity in our latest episode. We'll dive into the psychology behind why we often choose short-term gratification over our long-term goals and how this impacts our mental well-being. Listen in as Lisa Hopkins  provides practical strategies to slow down and make choices that align with your core values.

Tune in for an empowering discussion that reminds us all that we have the power to change our behavior and steer our lives in the right direction. Through mindful decision-making and self-awareness, you can avoid the traps of regret and shame, and move confidently toward your dreams. Whether it's resisting that late-night binge-watch or saying no to commitments that overextend you, this episode will give you the tools you need to stay true to yourself. Don't miss this motivational guide to reclaiming control over your actions and finding lasting fulfillment.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:23

Hey there, when was the last time that you did something that you knew you shouldn't, but you did it anyway? Think about it. We've all got something. I'm sure you know. There's a kind of tipping point where, even though you know better, you decide to go ahead and participate in that activity anyway. Sometimes throwing caution to the wind can feel empowering in the moment, in the sense that the rules don't apply, makes you feel like you are in control. It might be having that extra drink, staying up late, binge-watching a show or having another slice of pizza. Whatever it is late binge watching a show or having another slice of pizza, whatever it is. Even though you knew you shouldn't do it, you did it anyways. Maybe you went out with a group of people that don't have your best interests in mind. Or maybe you said yes to something that you don't actually have the bandwidth for. Whatever it is, you went ahead and did it anyway. Or maybe you didn't even stop long enough to even consider whether you should or shouldn't and instead just acted impulsively and then, in retrospect, you felt the shame shower pour over you.

Speaker 1: 1:46

Knowing that something isn't good for you and then doing it anyway is not only common, but it's a kind of self-sabotage. When we do things for immediate gratification, the inevitable regret and shame, the personal berating, the oh my God, what did I do? Why, why, why did I do that? Instead of connecting with your higher purpose and your deeper why, you are mired in asking yourself over and over again why on earth did I do that? Did I do that? So not only did the thing cause regret and shame, but now it's taking up time in your head. It's making it difficult to get back on track. What you thought was going with the flow was actually more like drifting down the river like a free-riding stick that ends up at the bottom of the river on a bank, drenched, waterlogged, exhausted and wondering where the hell you are. It becomes so much harder now to get back to where you were in order to actually continue moving forward toward the dreams and goals that you have.

Speaker 1: 3:08

So listen, guys if this is you, you're not alone. But there's an antidote to this, and you've heard me say it before You've got to slow down. Slow down before you make your decisions. Slow down and check in with yourself. This shame and regret that you feel afterward is simply a reminder that you have values, and it's not that you're weak, it's that you're going too fast. You're just going too fast. You're just going too fast. So I encourage you when you're feeling good because this usually happens when you're feeling pretty good when you're feeling good slow it down a little bit.

Speaker 1: 4:01

Before you make any quick decisions, check in with your values, ask yourself does this align with my values? And if it does, well then you've got choices. You can think about the external things. You can think about the aftermath. You can connect with all of those things and you can handle them, especially if what you chose to do was connected to your value. If you were to wake up the next morning feeling really tired because you stayed up too late doing something that was of great value to you, the tiredness is not going to go away, but the knowing that it was worth it, because it was something that was of great value to you, makes it handleable. But if you wake up the next morning and you feel simply mired in those whys like that stick way downstream on the side of the bank, all waterlogged and lost, well then you know Slow down, take your time. You guys, you've got this. You're not weak, you're just going too fast. This, you're not weak, you're just going too fast. I'm Lisa Hopkins. Thanks so much for listening. No-transcript.