Willpower
Willpower is the key to success. Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear.
A recent study revealed that as long as we are awake every two minutes, we are faced with a situation that requires us to make decisions. By the end of the day, we have spent three to four hours exercising willpower: resisting the urge to eat the last cookie, order another Martini, play candy crush, log on to the internet (for the nth time ), have an affair, buy another pair of shoes… you get my drift.
Many people believe they could improve their lives if only they had more of that mysterious thing called willpower. With more self-control we would all eat right, exercise regularly, avoid drugs and alcohol, save for retirement, stop procrastinating, and achieve all sorts of noble goals.
Willpower is the ability to control oneself and the decisions one makes. It’s the ability to delay gratification and choose long-term rewards over short-term rewards. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion. In the case of starting a healthy habit, that means getting started is usually the part that requires the most willpower.
lack of willpower was the most significant barrier to change. Yet although many people blame faulty willpower for their imperfect choices, it’s clear they haven’t given up hope. A majority of respondents believe that willpower is something that can be learned. Those respondents are on to something. Recent research suggests some ways in which willpower can be strengthened with practice. On the other hand, many survey participants reported that having more time for themselves would help them overcome their lack of willpower. Yet willpower doesn’t automatically grow when you have extra time on your hands.
So how can individuals resist in the face of temptation? In recent years, scientists have made some compelling discoveries about the ways that willpower works. This report will explore our current understanding of self-control.
Two things have been shown to train the brain’s willpower reserve, or strength: meditation and physical exercise. Meditation training improves a wide range of willpower skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control and self-awareness. It changes both the function and structure of the brain to support self-control. For example, regular meditators have more grey matter in the prefrontal cortex. And it doesn’t take a lifetime of practice — brain changes have been observed after eight weeks of brief daily meditation training.
Physical exercise also leads to similar changes in the brain, especially the prefrontal cortex; however it’s not clear why. Regular exercise – both intense cardiovascular and mindful exercise like yoga — also makes the body and brain more resilient to stress, which is a great boost to willpower.
Willpower is the inner strength that enables you to not only make decisions but also to carry them out. People with strong willpower assert their decisions in the face of strong opposition. Whereas people with weak willpower capitulate to fate. Where there is willpower, there is resolution, assertiveness, persistence, decisiveness, and firmness. We use willpower every day: to resist temptations, overcome procrastination and ultimately achieve our goals. In short, success can not be had without willpower.
In short, willpower is a basis for success. Increase your willpower, and you’ll increase the likelihood of success where that willpower is being channeled.
The power of a ritual, or what I like to call a pre-game routine, is that it provides a mindless way to initiate your behaviour. It makes starting your habits easier and that means following through consistently is easier.
On the flip side, we commit more errors and increase our chances of facing tragedies because we lack willpower. We know what is good for us; what will help us progress, but we lack the willpower to pursue the appropriate course of action. We know what is detrimental to us; what we should stop doing, but we lack the willpower to eliminate the harmful behaviour.
Willpower isn’t something you have or something you lack. It rises and falls. And while it’s impossible to maximize your willpower for every moment of every day, it is possible to make a few changes to your day and your routine so that you can get the most out of your decisions and make consistent progress on the things that are important to you. In this guide, I will break down the benefits and science of willpower, explain why willpower fades, and arm you with some simple strategies to boost willpower. Have you ever wondered if willpower plays a role in a person’s ability to obtain success? Or, have you ever asked yourself, “How does willpower affect your success?
The need for self-control sets into motion a coordinated set of changes in the brain and body that help you resist temptation and override self-destructive urges. It’s called the pause-and-plan response and it puts your body into a calmer state, unlike the adrenaline rush of stress. It also sends extra energy to the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which keeps track of your goals and helps you override impulses and cravings. The result is you have the mindset and motivation to do what matters most.
Many people have an intuitive sense of what this willpower is but lack the scientific knowledge to understand the forces that undermine it.
How can we work with willpower instead of against its stubborn nature? They say knowledge is power, and in this case, knowledge is willpower.
The biology of stress and the biology of willpower are simply incompatible. So any time we’re under chronic stress it’s harder to find our willpower. The fight-or-flight response floods the body with energy to act instinctively and steals it from the areas of the brain needed for wise decision-making. Stress also encourages you to focus on immediate, short-term goals and outcomes, but self-control requires keeping the big picture in mind. Learning how to better manage your stress – or even just remembering to take a few deep breaths when you’re feeling overwhelmed or tempted — is one of the most important things you can do to improve your willpower. Sleep deprivation (even just getting less than six hours a night) is a kind of chronic stress that impairs how the body and brain use energy. The prefrontal cortex is especially hard hit and it loses control over the regions of the brain that create cravings and the stress response. Unchecked, the brain overreacts to ordinary, everyday stress and temptations. Studies show that the effects of sleep deprivation on your brain are equivalent to being a little bit drunk! The good news is any step toward more or better quality rest can be a real boost to self-control. When the sleep-deprived catch a better night’s sleep, their brain scans no longer show signs of prefrontal cortex impairment.
We rely on willpower to exercise, diet, save money, quit smoking, stop drinking, overcome procrastination, and ultimately accomplish any of our goals. It impacts every area of our lives.
Nutrition comes into play because it also influences how available energy is for the brain. Something as simple as eating a more plant-based, less-processed diet makes energy more available to the brain and can improve every aspect of willpower from overcoming procrastination to sticking to a New Year’s resolution.
Willpower gives us the strength to overcome negative traits and impulses such as inaction, laziness, procrastination, and temptations. It is the ability to find the energy, motivation, and stamina to keep going even when you are tired and anxious, and part of you is looking for an escape.
Willpower is not a new concept, but we still do not have widespread awareness as to how to nurture it “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
