I enjoyed that article! Seems worth including the link in my article too. Thanks.
Your definition of intention seems different from my use of “willpower-based intention.” My ‘willpower-based intention’ always has a conscious element and cannot do things like “work in the background without my awareness at all.” It’s maybe quite related to the thing in your forehead.
My policy-based intentions feel kind of like pulling up my inner code guts, making a little rewrite or alteration, and putting them back into my guts. This is a conscious process (the installation), but then the change runs automatically, without holding conscious intentions.
I’m very bad at using these to create personal habits, like drinking water everyday or taking vitamins everyday. I don’t think these count. They require willpower after a while.
But maybe I one-time decide the best configuration of spices on the spice rack or how my kitchen is arranged. Then it is automatic for me to place things back where they belong after using it, and it is also automatic for me to want to organize things so they’re back where they belong when they get messed up.
These ‘desires’ for things to be a certain way live in my belly. And it feels like my belly carries motivations and behaviors that I can ride out.
It feels relaxing to have a policy I can lean on, and to carry out the policy. Like water running downhill.
You could maybe think of it as ‘intentions you already want to do anyway’. But with policies, your conscious mind can also make alterations / rewrite that code directly. Without any need for convincing, arguing, pushing. It is more of a collaboration I am in between elephant / rider—coming up with good policies makes us feel good and relaxed.
I enjoyed that article! Seems worth including the link in my article too. Thanks.
Your definition of intention seems different from my use of “willpower-based intention.” My ‘willpower-based intention’ always has a conscious element and cannot do things like “work in the background without my awareness at all.” It’s maybe quite related to the thing in your forehead.
My policy-based intentions feel kind of like pulling up my inner code guts, making a little rewrite or alteration, and putting them back into my guts. This is a conscious process (the installation), but then the change runs automatically, without holding conscious intentions.
I’m very bad at using these to create personal habits, like drinking water everyday or taking vitamins everyday. I don’t think these count. They require willpower after a while.
But maybe I one-time decide the best configuration of spices on the spice rack or how my kitchen is arranged. Then it is automatic for me to place things back where they belong after using it, and it is also automatic for me to want to organize things so they’re back where they belong when they get messed up.
These ‘desires’ for things to be a certain way live in my belly. And it feels like my belly carries motivations and behaviors that I can ride out.
It feels relaxing to have a policy I can lean on, and to carry out the policy. Like water running downhill.
You could maybe think of it as ‘intentions you already want to do anyway’. But with policies, your conscious mind can also make alterations / rewrite that code directly. Without any need for convincing, arguing, pushing. It is more of a collaboration I am in between elephant / rider—coming up with good policies makes us feel good and relaxed.