We live in a world of comfort, instant gratification is basically a part of life in Western society. We can access almost anything at a moment’s notice and enjoy it. Hell, you can even order McDonalds to your house now since the drive-thru was obviously too taxing to endure.
It’s no wonder we’ve gotten so soft as a culture. Both soft physically and mentally. However, mental softness is the main culprit as it leads to soft physicality. With a solid base of willpower at your disposal missing your goals in any aspect of life will be a thing of the past.
It’s so easy to turn the alarm off and go back to bed instead of waking up and doing your run or hitting the gym. It’s easy to have a sweet treat even though you had one the day before and the day before that, at that point it’s not a treat it’s your diet. Delaying your gratification in order to achieve your goals is hard but worth it.
Your willpower is a funny one. Why does it seem unbreakable for some and like a cooked piece of spaghetti for others? To gain what appears to be superhuman resolve you must work it like any other muscle.
If you’re a beginner at the gym do you load the bar up with 3 plates and try to do a bench press? No, the only thing you’ll end up exercising is your dental plan. You need to start light and slow, build your way up before you really reach your true potential. Your willpower is the exact same.
Trying to make huge monumental changes in one swoop rarely ever works. It takes time and consistent effort to reach that peak. But it’s in this struggle and learning process that you see the changes and feel empowered. If you got dropped off at the top of Everest in a helicopter would you be very proud of that position? You have to climb the mountain step by step in order to feel a sense of accomplishment and to realize your goals.
This is why I still to this day try to add in a new healthy habit every 2 weeks. These are small goals that are very achievable that build my willpower with each goal I accomplish. It has been through this process over the course of years that I’ve added in hundreds of new healthy habits.
Treat your willpower like a muscle, it needs to be exercised. It takes time to build up butit’s worth it in the end.
If you’re supposed to wake up and do a workout but you’re really tired and want to skip it, don’t! Do a short one. Maybe sleep in for a bit then do 3 sets of 10 push ups and bodyweight squats and call it a day. This sets you up for not bailing on your workout next time you’re in that situation. You can even add a bit more because you’ll realize that it wasn’t that bad. The point is not to fold completely or you’ll take your willpower down a peg. Repeat that enough and you’ll be like a kid in a candy store as far willpower is concerned.
Set your main objective and write down your strategies to achieve this. Under each strategy write your plan to tackle any roadblocks that may come up and your actions to overcome it. This is a simple half hour task that can set you up for success. Having a plan ahead of time will help keep you on track when your willpower may waiver. Work your willpower everyday with small achievable goals and delay what you want now for what you want most. Master this and you’ll master all of your goals.