I’ll do it again…

And here we go again…

A month ago, I ranted about having to write column articles. While I almost always start writing weeks before it is due, the article will only be completed the day before the deadline. 

I presented that the tendency to delay is inherently human. One, because the rewards are not immediate. I won’t see the reactions of my editor and readers in real time. Two, writing is not natural. Talking about it is more second nature. So much so, I always end up binging on the latest TV series. This article can always wait.

However, despite my inherent nature to procrastinate, the article will always be written, and will always find its way to the editor’s mailbox on time.

In the July-August issue of the Harvard Business Review, a published study found that “people who achieve goals aren’t just disciplined.” Rather, goals are achieved because of the type of goals that people set and select for themselves.

Goals are indicative of a person’s desire. A desire is “an affectively charged motivation toward a certain object, person, or activity.” We have numerous desires within us. And we arrange them arbitrarily in a hierarchy according to “importance.” I have to write this column, but I also want to watch the series. At the same time, I also wanted to check out the latest book release, as well as I need to… These desires vary in strength and duration.

Temptation occurs when one of these desires attempts to encroach on a more “important” desire or goal. When I feel that watching a TV series seems more attractive than writing this article, this is temptation. Resisting temptation requires self-control.  

Self-control is the “ability to regulate one’s emotions, thoughts, and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses.” It is necessary for controlling one’s behavior to ensure that goals are achieved. When presented with temptation, people with high self-control “lessen the significance of instant rewards while momentarily increasing the importance of overall values.” 

According to self-determination theory, “individuals would be more successful in pursuing goals that reflect their genuine interests and values, as well as their intrinsic or true self.” The true self represents a person’s belief about who he “really is regardless of his/her outward behavior.” In contrast, a public self is how one wants behaves when he is “around other people, even if this is not who they really are.” 

Most people select goals that are important, not necessarily goals that reflect their true selves. The importance of a goal is often shaped by public opinion and social trends. 

On the other hand, goal authenticity refers to goals that may not necessarily be enjoyable or fashionable, but people “pursue them because the goals allow them to be themselves.” Authentic goals provide one with meaning and self-fulfilment.

In “Choosing Goal That Express The True Self: A Novel Mechanism of The Effect of Self-Control On Goal Attainment,” three surveys were conducted involving 800 people.

In the first survey, subjects were asked to list recent goals and how the goals align with their “true selves.” They were also asked to indicate their progress towards the goals. In the second, subjects indicated their progress toward goals that made them “feel like they are really being themselves” and toward ones that “made people like them” or “made people respect them.” And in the third, subject were asked to set a new goal, to rate how much it “reflects who I am deep down inside,” and to report back a week later.

Results of the three surveys all show that “the more close a goal is aligned with a person’s sense of self, the greater is the progress towards the goal.” Moreover, those “who rate themselves high on self-control are more likely to set goals that reflect their ‘true selves’.”According to the study, individuals with high self-control “can distinguish authentic goals from goals imposed by social pressure or norms.” By being selective of their goals, they made “more progress towards the achievement of their goals.” 

Writing this article is not necessarily pleasurable. A lot of boring read is required. Against the temptation of watching a series, it is very difficult not to give in. Yet, I have again written another article.

Now my question is, is this my true self? Or am I just made to believe that it is?

Real Carpio So lectures at the Management and Organization Department of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. He is an entrepreneur and a management consultant. Comments are welcomed at realwalksonwater@gmail.com. Archives can be accessed at realwalksonwater.wordpress.com. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.