For many of us and for much of our lives we have absorbed the concept that willpower, along with its close cousin, self-discipline, is an inherent, inherited personality trait largely determined by our genes.
Nothing could be farther from the truth and that thinking illustrates the regrettable limitations of adopting a fixed mindset. Will ‘power’ is a skillset as learnable as any other and self-discipline is primarily a habit, as achievable as any other ability. The keys to making willpower your personal superpower are many; my favorite is to replace it with ‘want power’. I visualize the outcome I want in vivid detail, real, up close and personal. I create a vibrant picture in my mind of all the things, emotions, and experiences that I so powerfully want. I began to see myself as the kind of person that it is second nature to do the actions, be the behaviors, think the thoughts that inevitably lead to creating the new reality I want. In short, I begin to craft a new self-concept, a new identity oriented to doing all the things that make it creating what I want virtually a sure thing.
Distraction or substitution is also a powerful technique. A choice between what you are trying to avoid and nothing is no choice and a sure path to failure. Create a viable alternative, an option that gives you a safe exit ramp.
Related to this is substituting ‘desire power’ for discipline. I decided a long time ago that I would live ‘no ordinary life’ and that desire (and related self-concept), that dream, to be, live, and create beyond average has served me well in motivating me to do more than others who had not latched on to the dormant power that lies within all of us. Having written goals for all the important roles in your life as well as action plans and accountability checkpoints is an awesome way to begin tapping into your desire power.
Closing Quotes:
“A big part of willpower is having something to aspire to, something to live for.” – Mark Shuttleworth
“It’s not that some people have the willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.” – James Gordon
“Willpower isn’t something that gets handed out to some and not to others. It is a skill you can develop through understanding and practice.” – Gillian Riley
“People don’t just find the strength and the willpower they need, they create it by the strength of their desire, by the power of their need; and then will power becomes like any muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets.” – Unknown
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier