Boosting Your Willpower
I decided that it was time to address this issue that I see so many people struggle with, it is willpower. Over the last several years I have noticed that more and more people are simply lacking willpower and the fact is that they recognize it and feel powerless to it. I began to question how did this happen? Why is it so prevalent right now? How can it be corrected? So I set out to figure out a solution to this problem because I can see the toll it is taking upon our society. One would think that with all the technology that we have available to us that we would have developed something to enhance the willpower of society by some new technological way but as of the writing of this article, nothing.
I would like to tell you that although technology has not conquered this challenge, I have discovered some fascinating bits of information about how a person can increase their willpower naturally and successfully and I would like to share it with you right now. I must emphasize that the only way anything suggested in this article will work is if you try it. You must take action and incorporate the tools into your life to benefit from the results. There is no magic pill or shortcut. So with that said I would like to share with you successfully steps you can take to boost your willpower.
First of all I want to say stop brow beating yourself over some imaginary better future. This goes along with stop choosing things to focus on that are perceived to need fixing by you or you others that think the fixing needs to be done by you.
Secondly train your brain. Willpower is something that we all have some of us have more than others but with the understanding of how willpower works will help you harness and strengthen it. The brain has 3 systems it uses to engage Will, Won’t & Want Power. These are aspects of the prefrontal cortex, the executive center of the brain and they are what allow us to override the more primitive desires of the midbrain, which are always motivated by immediate reward or avoidance of pain. It is by working on these 3 areas that you will be able to successfully strengthen your willpower.
The “Will” power helps us to hold the big picture in mind, to hand on to your vision for your healthy, financially comfortable self and wisely engage I “will” and I “won’t” power to stay on track. The “Won’t” power will can help you to resist junk food and becoming a couch potato. ( This is the one that is weakest in most people) and the I “Want” power will let you remember how good you will feel after your last session of exercise.
The next step is to know what you want. If you are like most people you can identify a lot of aspects of yourself and your life that you would like to change. To be successful at those changes you need to identify and prioritize those areas that are truly vital to your happiness. The best thing that you can do is to write them down. This is a vital step in boosting your willpower and should not be skipped.
The fourth step is to start small. Once you have written down your priorities you are ready to take steps toward it. The path you take will be unique to you and will be guided by your intuition and motivation. Remember small things add up to big things for example passing up a dessert or making another charge on the credit card or passing up a drink or second serving of food, over time these things result in big improvements. By starting small and experiencing the success of the small steps taken reinforces the strength of your willpower.
The next step is to activate your willpower. You can do this by becoming aware of your built-in guidance system. Sit quietly with your eyes closed and bring to mind something you don’t like about yourself. It may be uncomfortable, but don’t try to change the thoughts; just notice them. Now shift your attention to the physical sensations you are experiencing. Next think about something you really appreciate about yourself. Then shift your thoughts to the physical sensations you are feeling. Now call to mind something that really gives your life meaning, something that give you a reason to get up in the morning, shift your thoughts to the sensations that you are feeling and now open your eyes. Thinking about this information helps you to navigate your course through distractions and endless temptations, thus strengthening your willpower.
The sixth step is to recognize challenges. Know that whenever you move toward change, you will encounter resistance, just keep moving forward. It is ok to acknowledge the challenge but do not get too wrapped up in it. Recognition and moving forward is the best method to boosting willpower.
The seventh step is to seal in success. Knowing that before you started this process your willpower may have began to weaken or may have even been considered to be weak but going through this process has allowed you to utilize some tools that are specifically designed to help you to boost your willpower. Sure it will take practice and each time you practice you will get stronger and stronger until you realize that you have been successful at increasing your willpower and you can help others to do the same.
Wishing you much health and wellness!
Namaste,
Rochele Lawson, RN,AHP,CMS
The Queen of Feeling Fabulous
www.blissful-living.net
