It involves resisting temptations so that you might stay on task.
If you are like many people, you might think you could finally achieve your goals with enough willpower.
At a Glance
Willpower involves your capacity to resist temptations as you pursue your goals.
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Fortunately, experts believe that there are steps it’s possible for you to take to boost your willpower.
What Is Willpower?
Willpower goes by many names: drive, determination,self-discipline, self-control, resolve.
Is Willpower a Limited Resource?
As long as you have gas, you’ve got the option to drive.
When it runs out, your car stops, and that’s it.
This is called “ego depletion.”
They were then given an impossible puzzle to solve.
And what did they find?
The students who ate the cookies worked on the puzzles for 19 minutes.
But the students who resisted the tempting cookies lasted an average of just eight minutes.
Does More Willpower Equal More Success?
Some psychologists have proposed that willpower can predict success in life.
Several years later, researchers tracked down the test subjects as adolescents.
Such results don’t debunk Mischel’s findings that willpower supports success.
However, they suggest that socioeconomic factors and trust play a role in determining willpower.
Why Willpower Is Important
Willpower impacts every area of your life.
It helps you accomplish a variety of goals, from exercising to saving money.
Willpower allows you to pursue your goals and enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from achieving them.
And always deferring your needs and desires can createprolonged stressand even harm your mental health.
Fortunately, researchers have also come to similar conclusions.
Mischel himself maintained that willpower in itself doesn’t guarantee success.
There are several things you might do to improve your self-control.
Work It Like a Muscle
Think of willpower as a muscle.
Just like any other muscle, willpower can be built up and strengthened with time and effort.
Exercising your willpower may also make it less vulnerable to being depleted.
Baumeister suggests creating simple but challenging tasks that require some effort.
For example, using your left hand instead of your right hand to open doors.
Or turning the light off every time you leave a room.
Engaging in these relatively easy tasks for a couple of weeks will hone your self-control skills.
Training your willpower can work wonders.
But remember, don’t overdo it.
This, in turn, affects your ability to resist temptation.
Everyone’s sleep needs are different.
Meditate
Meditationis one of the most powerful ways to increase willpower.
Research shows that regular mindfulness meditation can improve your focus and self-control, even when you’re not meditating.
Or better yet, physically remove the temptation from your environment.
If it’s possible for you to’t do that, then temporarily remove yourself from the temptation.
Distracting yourself until the craving has passed can help you stay on track and reach your goals.
Takeaway
Willpower can be a powerful tool when it comes to reaching your goals.
However, remember that you’re free to strengthen your self-control through practice, self-care, and self-awareness.
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American Psychological Association.What you should probably know about willpower: The psychological science of self-control.
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American Psychological Association.Acting on the marshmallow test.
Baumeister RF, Tierney J.Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength.
Penguin Press Willpower; 2011.
Pilcher JJ, Morris DM, Donnelly J, Feigl HB.Interactions between sleep habits and self-control.Front Hum Neurosci.
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