Want It. Hate It. Do It Anyway.

In this solo episode, Kari Schneider breaks down a powerful mindset shift that can transform your follow-through, leadership, and self-mastery: the critical difference between wanting something and liking the process of getting there.

Drawing on neuroscience research from Kent Berridge and Terry Robinson, Kari explains how the brain’s dopamine (desire) and opioid (pleasure) systems operate separately—and how confusing them keeps high performers stuck.

Key themes in this episode:

• The neuroscience of wanting vs. liking and why it matters for motivation
• How confusing preferences with priorities leads to poor decision-making
• The hidden danger of mislabeling vs. misalignment and how it shapes identity
• Why leaders often default to comfort instead of values—and how to correct it
• A simple pattern interrupt tool to regain momentum instantly

Standout insight:
You don’t have a motivation problem—you have a mislabeling problem. When you say “I don’t want to,” you may actually be reinforcing an identity that isn’t true.

Memorable moment:
“You’re allowed to hate the alarm clock and still be someone who gets up.”

Key takeaway:

Stop asking “Do I like this?” and start asking: “Do I want what this leads to?”

That single question can realign your actions with your values and help you take consistent, meaningful action—even when it’s uncomfortable.

If this resonates, share it with someone who’s stuck between what they want and what they feel like doing—and start building a life aligned with your values, not your preferences.

Supporting Researches:

BJ Fogg — Stanford Behavior Design Lab. Tiny Habits published 2019. His core argument that motivation is unreliable is accurately represented.

Daniel Kahneman — Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011). The experiencing self vs. remembering self distinction is accurately applied. Note: Kahneman’s framing is about experienced vs. remembered utility — the application to want/like is an extrapolation, not a direct Kahneman quote. Present it as ‘Kahneman’s framework offers a useful parallel’ rather than a direct citation.

James Clear — Atomic Habits (2018). ‘Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become’ is a real and verified quote from the book.

Viktor Frankl — Man’s Search for Meaning (1946). Application is accurate. No direct quotes attributed to him in the script, so no risk there.