From Will to Strong willpower- A path to develop and sustain Willpower

 

Be true to have strong willpower

Disclaimer- This post is majorly a self-contemplation. The personalized meaning derived from the topic vis-à-vis life experiences. Some of the content is directly used from the mentioned book.

Have you ever felt educated-illiterate??

Well, I Have…not once but several times. And in these moments, commonly, my poor self-confidence displays “quit door” as the only possibility to survive.

e.g. My early days of postgraduate (MBA).

I was a science student. Since the day I was born (I guess), my "parents-goal" for me was to "become a doctor". Nevertheless, life submitted entirely different options and steered me to the path of doing MBA. I still remember the first class of Finance & Account. The professor was talking about plants (i.e. factories), and all I could imagine was trees. The balance sheet for me implied triviality. The entire class was responding in Profit & Loss and I was at loss inside.

Would you comprehend the kind of self loath I contained at that time? 

The notion of the odd one out!! 

Those were the very moment when I felt stupid…illiterate, the period of weakest willpower. I felt to quit the course. The "fear" had the upper hand for a whole week. Yet, one fine morning, “that inner voice” won. The voice which never permitted me to quit rather directed the path and admitted me to settle an end to stupidity. For the next three months, I scanned accounts from scratch, taking assistance from professors and chewing the brains of my fellow mates and friends. As a result, not only I scored good marks in accounts but at the end of the MBA got the gold medal in dual majors MBA( HR & Finance)...Finance- for self-accomplishment and HR- for a professional degree.

“That inner voice”, commonly known as willpower, performed its miracles at that time and it continues to do so. It has taught me that Self-defeat is our dispute. No one else is to be accused. Listening and working with this "voice" have made me proud not once but many times.

Numerous stories and songs are composed on strength of strong willpower. Every time I read about willpower, I feel determined to perform something further.

Have you listened to a song by Nas named “Strong Will Continue”? I endorse it for the times-of-low. The lyrics of the song are like this-

“All I do is stay focused, looking straight forward at the world and beyond

I feel people pulling me down

I feel some pulling me up, I can't get stuck

I just keep moving forward

I got places to go, man, let's go”

Willpower has many synonyms viz. drive, determination, self-discipline, self-control, self-regulation, effortful control. However, for me, willpower is best defined as the ability to resist short-term temptations and desires to achieve long-term goals. It’s the prevailing source of long-term satisfaction over instant gratification.

So the next question arrives, how to improve willpower?

From several reads on the topic, the particular book titled "The Willpower Instinct", by Dr. Kelly McGonigal is, in my opinion, one of the finest writing. The Willpower Instinct explains the science of self-control and how it can be harnessed to improve our health, happiness, and productivity at the workplace as well as in our personal lives.

Some of the keys take away from this read are-

1. Don’t keep yourself in a constant state of willpower depletion. While wisely exercising self-control is a great way to build willpower, never giving yourself a break is a good way to deplete your resolve.

2. Use your imagination. Imagination is a powerful technique for improving willpower.

3. Think about something else. (Don’t underestimate the power of this simple technique) You can even use your imagination to keep unwanted thoughts at bay. Every time that unwanted thought threatens to intrude on your consciousness, think about something pleasant instead. That puts you in the driver’s seat of your thoughts.

4. Build good habits.  When under stress try point no 03 (above) and act healthily. Start responding (and not reacting) to mild stressors with healthier choices, such as listening to calming music, visualizing or viewing calming scenes, moderate exercise—whatever works for you instead of bad choices like drinking alcohol, or overeating.

5. One step at a time. Oftentimes, people give up not because they lack willpower, but because they feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the goal they must accomplish. A good way to deal with this feeling of overwhelm is to break the goal down into manageable pieces and line them up in a sequence that guarantees success. The beauty of this strategy is that it not only guarantees success but also guarantees that you will never put yourself in a state of willpower depletion. As you reach each sub-goal, you will derive an enormous sense of satisfaction and pride in yourself, making it that much easier to tackle the next one. When you reach the final goal, you are more likely to feel a sense of abundance and strength rather than the more typical response of “I’m so exhausted, I could sleep for a week.”

6. Be yourself. It takes an enormous amount of effort to suppress your normal personality, preferences, and behaviors. Not surprisingly, doing so depletes willpower. Psychologist Mark Muraven and colleagues found that people who exert this kind of self-control to please others were more easily depleted than people who held to their own internal goals and desires. When it comes to willpower, people-pleasers may find themselves at a disadvantage compared to those who are secure and comfortable with themselves.

So my nutshell comment/suggestion on developing never-ending willpower, based on personal experience, is-

NEVER EVER lend yourself as a second priority. If in a genuine sense you prioritize yourself…automatically you shall reap admiration for others. A sense of self-satisfaction peeps inside and I believe it continues to live forever in your soul.