Amen University
Making the best decisions for your health and happiness isn’t always simple or easy—especially when you’re feeling unmotivated. Figuring out how to keep up with healthy foods, time to exercise, and managing stress can feel like a never-ending puzzle without a full picture.
Trying to be perfect can exacerbate mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, which can make it harder to make the right choices. If you want to learn how to make better choices in your life, use proven smart decision-making strategies.
One of the best motivational exercises you’ll ever learn comes from Dr. Daniel Amen, understands how challenging it can be to stay on track. As one of the world’s leading psychiatrists, a neuroscientist, and founder of Amen Clinics and Amen University, Dr. Amen has created a simple motivational exercise to help you make better choices.
He calls it the Fork in the Road. Here’s how to improve decision-making skills with it.
What Is the Fork in the Road Method?
Dr. Amen’s favorite motivational exercise, the Fork in the Road, may be the game-changer you need in the decision-making process. It’s a simple yet powerful visualization technique designed to be used as an easy way to make smarter choices.
It works by activating your vivid imagination to visualize the potential results of your decisions. This makes it easier when learning how to improve decision-making skills by seeing two possible futures—one where you neglect your brain health and one where you prioritize it.
Scientific research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry supports this approach. This study found that engaging in mental imagery exercises strengthens the prefrontal cortex, a brain region responsible for decision-making, impulse control, and long-term planning.
By practicing this exercise regularly, you train your brain to recognize the impact of your choices and make it easier to commit to a healthier lifestyle. Here’s how you can apply the Fork in the Road exercise to your daily life.
Picture Yourself at a Fork in the Road
Imagine you’re walking through a peaceful countryside and suddenly come across a fork in the road. You see two paths ahead—one leading to a future of poor health and unhappiness, the other leading to a future of vitality and well-being.
Which path do you want to follow? This simple decision-making exercise starts by pausing and reflecting on the two choices.
Research suggests people who visualize choices engage the brain’s decision-making networks more effectively. A 2022 study found that when people mentally simulate future scenarios, they make more rational and healthier choices.
The Left Path—A Future of Poor Brain Health
First, imagine taking the left path—the road where you continue making unhealthy decisions, ignoring your brain health. Ask yourself these questions to start building self-awareness of why you would or wouldn’t choose this road:
● What will your life look like in…
○ One year?
○ Five years?
○ Ten years?
○ Thirty years?
Now, picture yourself suffering from neglect and a rapidly aging brain in decline. Poor diet, lack of exercise, chronic stress, and bad sleep habits contribute to brain fog, low energy, depression, and weight gain. As time goes on, your mental clarity fades and memory loss becomes a real problem affecting you daily.
Research from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference shows how lifestyle choices impact cognitive decline and lead to memory issues later in life. Now, as you imagine struggling with health issues, think about that feeling of exhaustion and how you’ll regret not making better choices sooner. Maybe you already have a few bad habits that you don’t want to regret anymore.
This initial visualization will help you reinforce why brain-healthy habits matter. The more you can vividly imagine how you will feel in a more negative future, the more motivated you become in creating habits to prevent it.
The Right Path—A Future of Health and Vitality
Next, shift your focus to the right path—the road where you prioritize your brain health and embrace smart decision-making strategies. Take a moment and picture what you want for your life and ask yourself these questions as you build that world around you:
● What will your life look like in…
○ One year?
○ Five years
○ Ten years
○ Thirty years?
You know the drill—now picture your brain getting healthier. With every good choice you make—from eating nutritious foods, exercising, reducing stress, and sleeping really well—you build a stronger, sharper mind. The next step from here is to envision a future where you have:
➔ Brighter mood and better energy levels
➔ Mental clarity and a sharp memory
➔ A healthier body and youthful vitality
➔ A life filled with joy and purpose
Research published in 2020 in the journal Neurology found the risk of cognitive decline is reduced by up to 60% for those who consistently practice healthy lifestyle habits. That means the small decisions you make today can have a profound impact on your future.
Recognize That Every Choice Matters
Every choice you make moves you toward one of these two futures. The beauty of the Fork in the Road is that it helps you make a mindset shift for better decisions. It reminds you that even all decisions—whether big or small—shape your brain health
Research shows higher levels of self-awareness are linked to better decision-making and improved emotional regulation. Another study from Frontiers in Psychology suggests people who regularly practice self-reflection are more likely to make thoughtful, goal-oriented choices that align with long-term health and well-being.
Train Your Brain to Choose Wisely
Train yourself to use this motivational exercise for better choices. This allows you to engage and align your emotional behavior and logical reasoning.
When you regularly visualize both positive and negative outcomes, you develop a stronger internal drive to make healthier choices. Visualization exercises can improve your self-control, strengthen your willpower, and enhance long-term planning skills to help you stay committed to your goals, even in the face of temptation.
By practicing this exercise regularly, you strengthen the neural pathways responsible for decision-making.
Apply The Fork in the Road Daily
When you start using this technique whenever you face a decision, you’ll get more comfortable with making better decisions clearly and quickly. If you’re tempted to skip a workout, eat junk food, or engage in a habit that harms your brain, pause for a moment to visualize these smart decision-making strategies.
Dr. Amen has spent decades studying the brain, so he understands how small habits can activate a mindset shift for better decision-making. Here are a few ways to help you start choosing a new path for your future:
★ Healthy Eating Choices – Before reaching for junk food, pause and visualize the long-term impact on your brain and body versus the image of the food itself. Choosing nutrient-dense foods supports mental clarity, energy, and better physical health.
★ Consistent Exercise – When tempted to skip a workout, picture the future version of yourself with more strength, mobility, and brain health versus the sluggish, low-energy alternative. Make a plan to achieve the goals you envision.
★ Screen Time & Sleep Hygiene – Instead of scrolling late at night, imagine the effects of poor sleep on memory, focus, and mood versus the benefits of deep, restorative rest. Visualize how you’ll feel in the morning and throughout the day.
★ Managing Stress & Reactions – When faced with stress, visualize responding calmly instead of reacting impulsively. Research shows that practicing mindfulness can lead to better emotional regulation and processing in times of daily and high stress.
★ Personal Growth & Learning – Before procrastinating on self-improvement goals or putting off a new hobby to learn, imagine the long-term rewards of continuous learning, goal setting, and self-discipline.
Commit to Taking the Healthier Path Today
Making smart decisions doesn’t have to feel lonely or overwhelming. By using the Fork in the Road method, you gain a powerful tool to help you make better choices. The next time you feel unmotivated or unsure about a decision, remember you have two long-term outcomes in the choice you’re about to make.
To make smarter choices for a healthier brain and a better life, sign up for Amen University’s 28-Day Quick Start Guide: Change Your Brain Every Day. Your future starts in your mind—which fork in the road will you choose?
