“When people have will power failure is because they haven’t anticipated a situation that is going to come along”.
Charles Duhigg
Willpower seems like this etherial thing that some of us have and others don’t. Why is it that it is so hard for some us to mustard the energy to wake up half an hour earlier to meditate, pack lunch or to exercise when others do it without trouble? Can it be that we are missing a trait? Is it something our parents failed to teach us?
Today I want to help you dismantle this idea and get to experience the rewards of increasing your will power.
Will power is not a trait. Think about it as a muscle. Some of us have not used that muscle enough in our lives. Maybe we did not participate in things that required we “train” this muscle like going to practice for a sport team or practicing for hours to master a musical instrument. This is a key thing to observe. Then, we simply need to accept where we are and decide to use that muscle.
Willpower can grow strong or weak depending on how we use it. The idea here is that we HAVE to use it. My personal concept adds another layer, and that is the fact that we are actually using it all the time without being aware of it. And if we don’t take care of that muscle, it gets tired and fatigued (and it fails). Just like people that workout have a “leg day” alternated with a “core day” we need to give that muscle a break so it can grow and perform. You may ask: “How else are you using willpower?” You use it to get up on time, to not react when someone pushes your buttons, to finish the project by the due date, to not leave dirty dishes in the sink, to stop obsessing with a worry or negative thought…all of this things use your willpower, all day and everyday.
Let’s take this to the practical world. We’ll use cooking healthy foods as an activity we want to apply more willpower. I chose this because over and over again this seems to be on of the biggest obstacles in my client’s journeys. These two steps are my offering to help you get to overcome that willpower failure
Create daily energy renewal habits: You know now that you are using your willpower all day long . Maybe that’s why when dinner time comes around you’re depleted. Your willpower muscle is sore and tired and you end up going to the drive thru, heating some processed convenience, skipping a meal or going for unhealthy and fast things. To avoid this I recommend you build daily renewal time. These are the resting intervals for your “muscle” so it does not falter. What can these be? Contemplative practices like prayer and meditation, time in nature, rest (yes I mean a power nap), listening to inspiring music, play time, creative endeavors etc. You must add this to your daily routine.
Anticipate and have a plan: Read the quote at the top of this note. This is very important. If your live is chaotic you are going to need willpower even more, simply because things are always requiring a reaction n the spot. No one can succeed that way. Seriously, your muscle will be having spasms by lunch time (there goes that meal too). Having a plan B, C and D help you easily navigate through daily things that should not be using all that willpower energy. How does that look like: Having a meal plan for example. If you are depleted by dinner time, it will be OK. The you of yesterday already made that decision for you and now you can relax.
HERE is a livestream I did about this very subject. If you like it, but you are not catching these bits of coaching make sure you follow my page @ommywellness 🙂
Many of these concepts are what I teach in my ongoing Stress free cooking & living club
What’s in this Club? A full month of plant based, gluten free (with grain free option) clean recipes planned for you! Want more? I regularly post videos, tips and ideas in our forum where everyone can ask questions. Plus you participate in a monthly group coaching call so I can help you get unstuck and moving on the right direction
If you are curious about my recipes take a look at this sample one week plan:
Click here to get the details and to download your recipes and the schedule for our tasty “unchallenge” or leave me a comment with your questions or experience with willpower struggles. Let me get over that muscle soreness and shine bright my love
Xo,
Coach Maria Marcano
PS: Want even more? Remember you can always book a 45 minute FREE Exploration session with me. If your mind & body are in need of a change from tired to empowered, I promise you that this phone call can change the trajectory of your entire wellbeing . CLICK HERE to schedule your session my love.
