Content

• Steps

Building willpower is an important part of working toward a variety of goals. Fortunately, willpower can be strengthened over time. Through a combination of mental and physical exercises, you can practice self-control and positive thinking. By focusing on your motivation and the progress you have made, you can improve your lasting and stable willpower.

Steps

Part 1 of 2: Physical and Mental Exercise

1. 

   Tame the instant temptation. You need to exercise your will so that you don't have to give in to all sorts of trivial temptations that occur every day. If you practice the ability to overcome trivial temptations, it will be the foundation for higher willpower in other areas of your life. For example:
   • Don't buy a product that you hastily want but don't really need, such as a coffee, a CD, or a new shirt. Instead, you should save money.
   • Place snacks in a drawer or cabinet instead of leaving them in plain view.
   • Go for a walk instead of checking email or social media accounts.

2. 

   
   
   Create an "if-then" plan. Knowing in advance what you will do in a situation to avoid the temptation or to train your willpower can help you succeed. When you are faced with such situations, then follow the "if-then" statement. For example:
   • If you're trying to stay away from junk food: "If you go to the department store and can't help but pay attention to unhealthy snacks, then I'll buy a cereal box instead."
   • If you are trying to avoid drinking: "If someone asks me out for a drink, then I'll just order soda".
   • If you are trying to control your mood: "If I start to feel upset, I'll close my eyes right away, take a deep breath, and count to 10 to calm down."

3. 

   
   
   Delay the feeling of satisfaction. Giving up on your desires will give you instant gratification, but sometimes postponing them can help increase your will in general and your satisfaction in particular. There are many ways to practice delaying daily satisfaction, such as:
   • Take a cold shower first, and allow yourself to take a hot shower for a few minutes only.
   • Wait 5 minutes before eating, even if you are hungry.
   • Fast for a day (only do this if you are healthy enough, and talk to your doctor first).
   • Only allow yourself to buy the desired item after a certain amount of time, such as a week (this also gives you time to determine if it's the item you really want).

4. 

   
   
   Pay attention to the body. Research has shown that constant attention even to quick observations of posture, breathing patterns, etc. can increase willpower and mood. Some simple exercises to do this include:
   • Remind yourself to always sit upright
   • Stop to take regular deep breaths
   • Get up from your desk or couch for a relaxing 5-minute break every hour

5. 

   Encourage yourself to exercise physically. Practice exercises that are good for your physical health as well as thinking of self-control. By being responsible for your body's health, you will increase your willpower in several areas of your life. Focus on making physical health plans adapted to your lifestyle and abilities. Don't be afraid to start small, and remember that any progress you make is worth it. The key is to focus on the plan. Depending on your experience, try:
   • Walk for 10 minutes a day, then increase to 10 minutes or more.
   • Make an exercise routine, whether indoors or outdoors.
   • Play your favorite sport with friends once or more times a week.
   • Running practice 5000 meters, etc.
   • Cycle to work every day instead of riding a bike or taking public transport.
   • Climb the mountain.

6. 

   Give up or replace unwanted thoughts. In addition to exercise, you can increase your willpower through mental health training. The most important thing is to focus on eliminating thoughts that make you feel depressed. By practicing self-control in this way, you will feel responsible for your feelings and thoughts.
   • You can change negative thoughts into more positive ones. For example, if you tend to think “I've never done that before, and don't know what to do”, rearrange the situation more positively by thinking like this, “This is an opportunity to I learn something new ”.
   • Stay away from certain people, places, circumstances, the media, and many other factors in your life that tend to make you think positively.

7. 

   Practice meditation. Just practicing meditation can greatly increase your sense of self, boost your mood, your health, and reduce stress.If you regularly get into the habit of meditating, even for 5 minutes at a time, you will train willpower by focusing on your goal in two ways and increasing your sense of self. Some types of meditation are:
   • Reciting the spell, you repeat a word or phrase over and over again.
   • Practicing mindfulness to feel happier is when you focus on your consciousness while meditating through breathing exercises and other methods.
   • Practices that combine meditation with physical activity, such as meditating on love and practicing tai chi.
   • Some yoga breathing exercises.
   • Imagination method.

8. 

   Focus on virtue. As part of your general goal towards developing a will, you may want to focus on good qualities, such as showing compassion toward others, being a good friend, practicing perseverance. maintenance and honesty, etc. Research suggests that will and virtue are related, so you should do things like:
   • Perform random acts of kindness every day, like giving someone a seat on the bus, making an anonymous person pay for a stranger for lunch, or complimenting someone in need.
   • Take at least an hour a week to actively help others even if they don't ask.
   • Voluntary participation in community organizations.
   • Show patience with family, friends, co-workers, etc., by controlling what motivates you to criticize others.
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Part 2 of 2: Motivating for Success

1. 

   Motivated to be successful. Understanding why you want to change will increase your chances of reaching your goal. If you want to practice willpower, try to identify and understand why, whether it's very specific or too general. Some good examples include:
   • You want to go to work on time.
   • You want to quit smoking.
   • You want to be kinder to others.
   • You want to be more active.
   • You want to be more successful.
   • You want to get in touch with your spiritual world.

2. 

   Focus on each goal. Increasing self-control in all areas of your life can have a positive effect on your will in general. However, you are more likely to succeed with training and improve your willpower if you focus on a single goal. Prioritize some goals and identify next steps to take to decide where to start. For example:
   • Suppose you have a common goal of becoming more successful in life, and you define the main starting point to be better at work.
   • You already have a habit of being late to work, so determining that arriving on time is the first step you should take.
   • Focus on training willpower by waking up early to go to work on time.
   • Do not redirect to another goal until you have successfully completed this first step.

3. 

   Observe your behavior. It is important to keep track of your progress when you want to train your willpower. This way, you can determine if you are moving toward success, and if you need to make some adjustments to improve.
   • For example, if you're trying to get to work on time, keep a record of when you go to bed and when you wake up. Notice if you are making progress or need to change. For example, if you notice that you wake up on time every day except Monday, then focus your renewed willpower on getting it right.
   • There are a number of websites, apps, and programs that can help you keep track of your progress when you want to reach your goals. Be careful, however, not to over-monitor yourself or depend on using one of these aids, as this can potentially distract you and decrease your willpower.

4. 

   Reward yourself. Rewarding yourself from time to time is perfectly fine and beneficial when you reach your goals. Treat yourself when you succeed — you need to make sure that building up your willpower is a real goal, not a short-term reward.

5. 

   Sleep a lot. Adequate rest is very important if you want to successfully practice and improve your willpower. If you are mentally or physically depleted, your chances of success are reduced. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a night, so you should set a reasonable goal. advertisement