How are you casting your internal votes? – Tom Adams

Hey friends,

Tom here, how are things with you lately?

Have you ever taken a moment to reflect on the decisions that we make in our day-to-day lives? Do you know about the different factors that influence how you make decisions? These are a small taste of what we’re going to be exploring in today’s blog.

Hello and Welcome to Sweeney’s Blogs!

I remember sitting in my A-level politics class on a frosty December morning feeling absolutely outraged (this was not unusual, I must admit). On this particular occasion, however, we were looking at turnout rates at our most recent elections.

“How could people be so wasteful with their voting power!?” I exclaimed passionately, and internally, as I was very shy at this stage of my life.

At 17 years old, I learned that we are most powerful when we cast our own vote, where we take ownership of the change that we want to see in our lives. It has taken me many years since I realised that this sentiment is not only applicable at election time. We cast countless internal votes every single day – and our internal votes all count towards who we elect to represent ourselves.

You have two candidates to choose from (let’s pretend one is sitting on each shoulder like the angel and the devil). Your angel candidate is passionate about your health, fitness, and self-improvement. Your devil candidate is passionate about comfort, clogged arteries, and laziness.

When it comes to a decision, for example, do you lace up your running shoes or do you not? You are not solely in your house when making this decision, you are in your internal polling station. Do you decide to go for a run and cast a vote for your angel candidate, or do you sack it off and cast a vote for your devil candidate?

Each time we make a decision, we are, in essence, casting our vote in favour of one of our infinite possible identities. The more votes we cast, the stronger the majority candidate has in your internal parliament.

If we take a moment to revisit our previous blog about treating your life like a video game, the exact same applies in this context. While the decisions that we make impact on those that we choose to represent us, they also massively contribute to the person that we are transforming into.

Life is a series of opportunities, obstacles, and new experiences, that all help to shape us into the people that we are to this day. Sometimes we may decide to elect for the better decisions, sometimes the worse, all of which culminate into moulding what our futures are going to look like. Use this to frame your mindset, so that you are making the decisions that maximise your value in the here and now, in addition to whatever the future has in store.

So, I implore you, please dear reader, next time you make a decision, ask yourself what identity do you want to represent you?

In your internal parliament, what positive identities already sit at your table, making the big decisions for you? Do you look around your internal cabinet and see a runner, a healthy eater, or a hard worker? Or do you see pesky rebels lurking at your table, a sofa surfer, a binger, a comfort seeker?

If you are surrounded by rebels looking to oust you from Government do not worry! Now you are aware of them you have taken the first step in becoming the person you want to be. Start voting wisely and choose to elect the best version of yourself.

That’s all for today’s blog, what do you think? How are you casting your internal votes? Are you thinking of changing some of your patterns following today’s blog?

I’d love to hear your answers to the above 🙂

Thanks for reading and I wish you the very best for the week ahead,