# How we make decisions A decision is the closest component we can ever get to what we call a "[soul](humanity.md)", and is the mechanism that defines anything we call "intelligent" or "human". We tend to judge our [identity](people-identity.md) by our decisions when they yield positive [results](results.md), but lean more into our [circumstances](reality.md) when we experience [hardship](hardship.md) (a product of [guilt and shame](mind-feelings-shame.md)). However, we tend to [believe](understanding-certainty.md) the opposite in others: their decisions are *not* their identity when they're succeeding, while their decisions are *entirely* who they are when they fail. We are *constantly* deciding things. When we were little, nearly all our decisions were conscious. However, we quickly developed many [habits](habits.md) automatically, and those decisions were pushed into the subconscious. In a single day, the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions, though we're only aware of about 100 of them. Contrary to how it may [seem](people-image-why.md), decision-making is far more of a strain on our willpower than actually [*doing* most things](results.md). As we develop [habits](habits.md) from infancy onward and our [identity](people-identity.md) grows, we subconsciously conform to an identity with further decisions and [changes](people-changes.md) without [awareness](mind-awareness.md) of it. As we gain [experience](understanding.md), *most* decisions become [habitual](habits.md). Decisions force [change](people-changes.md) and require directing [our essence](humanity.md) to it, so it's a gigantic portion of why [aging](maturity.md) makes us both set in our ways and unaware of the passage of time. ## Willpower We face [conflicts](people-conflicts-inner.md) about what we want. If we have *any* conflict about what we [imagine](mind-imagination.md) [doing](results.md) or [believing](understanding-certainty.md), we must deny a [sentiment](mind-feelings.md) to [act](creations.md) toward a repeat of that action. "Willpower" is the amount of resistance we must use to make a particular decision. Every day, we wake up with a certain amount of willpower based on how much we're [certain](understanding-certainty.md) about what we can do. Over the day, we can refresh that [certainty](understanding-certainty.md) through affirmations or rest, but that willpower reserve will slowly drain until we become incapable of even performing basic [tasks](purpose.md) or resisting *any* [substance](addiction-substances.md). APPLICATION: We slowly lose [willpower](purpose.md) from decision-making, and are more likely to be impulsive when confronted with too much selection. We can build our willpower with [habits](habits.md) that push our limits. That reserve of willpower is a universal component of *any* task, though there are broad [value-based](values.md) variances in how it applies (e.g., patience versus strength). Our willpower reserve is connected with our animal capacity for brainpower, which is based on sugar levels (glucose) in the brain. We can either make it run for longer through endurance, change our diet to fuel it better, and [sleep enough](sleep.md) to keep it running optimally. ## Unconscious Our framework of information can often be shoddy and [untrustworthy](understanding-certainty.md), but we still must make decisions with it. Since unconscious decisions are essentially [habits](habits.md) by another name, and the word "decisions" usually only refers to the diverging options we consciously select. APPLICATION: Generally, experiences and decisions we make beforehand craft our minds to dispose toward a decision *long* before we actually face any given decision. However, we imagine our decision is completely on-the-fly and unaffected by our environment. This doesn't mean we don't have agency, but we *are* being [influenced](power-influence.md) in ways we're not actively [aware](mind-awareness.md) of. There is a spectrum between conscious decisions and habits. Across repetition, decisions become habits through a specific flow: 1. Experience [perceived facts](reality.md). 2. Condense the information into reasonable [stories](stories-why.md) that answer ["how", "why", and "what"](understanding.md). 3. The end of the story creates a [feeling](mind-feelings.md) that defines the [purpose](purpose.md) we ascribe to the experience. We feel comfortable handing off most decisions to the subconscious, except for when that decision either may create [painful](mind-feelings-fear.md) [results](results.md) or makes us feel something [unfamiliar](understanding-certainty.md). We can profoundly understand the basis of our [personalities](people-personality.md) by what decisions we obsess over and how much. APPLICATION: Small decisions *against* what's we're accustomed to will defy our habitual cycle and force us to be aware of an experience. If we foster that awareness, we'll take control of the situation. Otherwise, we'll become more set in our ways. ## Calculus Every time, we process it through a type of [calculus](mind-decisions-calculus.md), even if it happens within milliseconds. APPLICATION: We have control over this calculus, and it means [there is a proper method for making wise decisions](mind-decisions-how.md).