Achieving our goals in life is determined, to a certain extent, by how healthy our willpower is. A healthy willpower deals us the ace. It keeps us on track. It gives us the strength to face obstacles. It gives us the clarity to say no to temptations that would set us back.
What can we do to build up its’ strength?
1) Increase your self-control
a) Make yourself wait, e.g.) to eat the cake until you get home, to not open your birthday presents before the day, to get the job you don’t like to do done first.
b) Practise positive affirmations, such as: I am in charge if myself, I am the master of my life, and I am in control of my choices.
c) Be light about things. It has been found that laughter helps us to be better at self-control.
2) Increase your mind power
a) Meditation helps us increase our power of concentration and focus. This helps us to keep our eye on our goal and be much more effective in working towards it.
b) Creative visualization allows us to create a mental picture of us having achieved our goal and a road map of how we get there. This helps to increase our confidence in succeeding and believing in ourselves.
3) Increase your ability to change your habits
a) Swap one small habit for another. Just take one at a time. If this is difficult you can begin with swapping a good habit for another good habit and then move on to swapping some of those less healthy ones for a more supportive one, such as, the apple instead of the chocolate bar, the 10 minute walk rather than jumping on the bus or a smile for a frown.
b) To take on a bigger habit, create a realistic plan. Sit down and put it on paper, step by step. You may, for example, want to be able to run for 30 minutes. Sit down and write out a 6-8 week plan. On which days and at which times are you going to go out for the full 30 minutes? On the first day maybe you will just run for 1 minute and walk for 9 minutes. After a week maybe you are up to running for 3 and walking for 7. Be specific. Then put it into practice and stick to it.
Be committed, no second thoughts or doubts that you can do it! If you do come off track, don’t fall into the all or nothing trap and throw in the towel. Just stop, be forgiving, see what tripped you up and get back on track.
“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
Mahatma Gandhi
Hi there,
I just came across your site and I really love your work. It makes a huge difference the way you break things down. There’s nothing worse than feeling overwhelmed with complex plans. That’s why I love the 6-8 week plan.