Willpower 101 - Everything You Really DO Want to Know About This Superpower

Willpower is one of those words that can evoke fear, thrill, or maybe even dread. How do you feel when you hear this word? Many women I work with feel overwhelmed at the suggestion of willpower, especially when it comes to food and exercise.

Let’s take a moment to examine willpower. What is it, really!?!? Why is it so hard to apply? And how can you harness it when working to achieve a health goal... heck, ANY goal!?! (Yes, even a holiness goal!!  LOL! )

Willpower is key to how we manage our goals, behaviors, and decision-making. I hope this post will help you harness willpower in an integrated way. 

What is Willpower:

+  Ability to control impulses, make decisions, and stick to tasks or goals, even in the face of distractions or temptations

+ Internal strength that helps us delay gratification and stay focused on long-term objectives

+ Mental capacity that keeps us on track when things get tough

As faithful women, our willpower can sometimes come from working with God in those “I don’t like it” moments. (We can ask for the GRACE!)

Why is it so hard?

Willpower is often considered a limited resource. This means that our ability to exert self-control and stay focused is finite. Once we've used a lot of it throughout the day or on certain tasks, we have less available for other things. The more we use willpower, the more it can feel depleted. Essentially, just like physical energy, our mental resources are not endless.

How can I harness it? 

Fortunately, willpower can be trained and improved with the right strategies. Here are some skills and techniques that can enhance willpower:

1. Self-regulation techniques: Learning how to recognize when you're at a point of weakness and then creating systems to prevent falling into temptation can make the environment less tempting.
2. Setting realistic goals: Breaking big tasks into smaller, manageable steps makes them less daunting and more achievable, reducing the risk of feeling overwhelmed.
3. Mindfulness: Practicing mindfulness helps build awareness and control over impulses. Being aware of your thoughts and emotions can help you make more deliberate choices rather than acting impulsively. Check yourself before you wreck yourself - Are your “feelings” in the driver’s seat? 
4. Prioritize energy management: Since willpower is limited, it's important to conserve it for tasks that are most important to you. You might choose to work on high-priority tasks first, when your mental energy is fresh. Like meal planning in the morning before the tasks of the day zap your energy for planning dinner. 
5. Building habits: Once something becomes a habit, it requires less willpower. Establishing good habits, like exercising or eating healthy, reduces the need to exert willpower over time.
6. Avoiding decision fatigue: Making a lot of decisions can deplete willpower, so creating routines or automating choices (like meal prepping or laying out exercise clothes the night before) can conserve energy for important decisions.
7. Reward yourself: When you successfully resist temptation or stick to your goal, reward yourself. Positive reinforcement can strengthen your willpower over time. Proclaim your victory out loud with a cheer "Yay, me!"

All these skills are about working with and strengthening your willpower, rather than simply expecting it to be limitless. Approaching willpower with an integrated mindset helps us to use it to build healthy momentum in our lives. 

Are you ready to take your integration to the next level? Book your strategy session (click here) today and together let’s harness your willpower with a plan! It is time to transform willpower into YOUR superpower!