We’ve covered the formula of hope over the last couple of weeks.
Today and tomorrow, we’ll dig a little deeper into willpower & waypower.
First up is willpower.
When we look at the definition, willpower is “the ability to control one’s own actions, emotions, or urges” and “strong determination that allows one to do something difficult”.
Our willpower is the mental toughness that allows us to be resilient and fend off adversity.
Meeting our goals takes a level of willpower to stop or start a new habit that continues over time.
Willpower prioritizes future gains over the short term.
My Perspective
When I look at willpower, I’ve seen most people struggle with establishing habits and optimizing them.
There are multiple challenges along the way.
Below are three I see most frequently.
We need to ensure we really want to achieve the goal – if we don’t, we’ll make excuses for not acting on the necessary habits.
We need to understand ourselves and what makes us more/less likely to do the habit – we might need to engage in the habit with others or complete a certain task at a certain time of day or pair the habit with something else. To get to know the strategies, I would recommend Gretchen Rubin’s book Better Than Before.
We also need to set boundaries. If the goal is a priority for us, we can’t let the needs of others get in the way of finding the time for the habit. Sometimes we are in a life stage where certain goals aren’t realistic. Facing that and postponing the goal is better than feeling like you’re failing when boundaries can’t be set.
Once habits are set, we need to check in from time to time to ensure we don’t need to adjust to freshen up the routine and/or take us to the next level.
Your Turn
Do you have strong or weak willpower?
Does it depend on the habit, goal, or task at hand?
When your willpower falters, is it a lack of connection to the goal, the approach, or boundaries?