How real is real?

I've just finished reading Subliminal by Leonard Mlodinow, and now I'm turned upside down. Are the decisions I make based on real analysis, or do they bubble up from a biased subconscious? Do I dream of being a writer because I'm any good, or just because I want to be one? Are any of the judgments I make about myself worthwhile, or are they all just a product of inner desires?

Ah, but then he points out that none of us would persist without our subconscious prodding and praising us. Great writ...