- Immediately after I ate two of my daughter’s goldfish, I remembered that I don’t normally eat this kind of food, and wondered what it would be like to have such strong agency that I’d never eat food that wasn’t good for me. I wondered if this were even possible. Not knowing if it were possible made the thought of trying appear as a challenge. It sounded interesting. I told myself that I would not put anything into my mouth, unless I were mindful of the decision to do so. About thirty seconds later I realized I had just put another two goldfish into my mouth.
I often get carb cravings in the afternoon. Sometimes I'll walk outside and think about buying a bag of Pepperdige Farm cookies. Often I come back empty handed, dissuaded partly by the thought of wasting money on junk food, but mainly by the knowledge that I almost always consume the entire bag in half an hour, and spend the rest of the afternoon with sugar overdose symptoms.
After reading this story, I went outside and bought a bag of Pepperidge Farm cookies and left them on my desk.
A month later, they are still on my desk, unopened. It was a weirdly effective commitment strategy. I don't have to walk past the shop, thinking about buying cookies, because I already have cookies. And I don't eat the cookies, because I want to be stronger than the "Irresistible" marketing on the package.
I feel like this story lacks some suitably dramatic music! This article is an introspective bomb-defusal scene. I picture our hero hunched over a milano cookie, eyes bulging and veins throbbing as music crescendos and the lighting becomes dramatic. Good share :) P.S. Your clock is two minutes slow ;)