Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 2: Build Mental and Physical Willpower
• Method 2 of 2: Maintain Your Success

To achieve goals, it is important to train willpower. Fortunately, it can be strengthened over time. A combination of mental and physical exercise will allow you to learn both to control yourself and to think positively. By focusing on your motivation and progress, you can build willpower over the long term.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Build Mental and Physical Willpower

1. 1 Resist short-term temptations. It is necessary to train willpower in order not to succumb to all kinds of small temptations that we face every day. If you learn to resist them, you will lay the foundation for strong willpower in other areas of your life. For example:
   • Don't make impulse purchases for things you don't really need, such as coffee, a CD, or a new T-shirt. You better save money.
   • Place snacks in a drawer or closet rather than leaving them in plain sight.
   • Take short walks instead of checking your email or social media feed.
2. 2 Create if-then plans. Knowing ahead of time what to do in a situation to avoid temptation or build willpower can help you succeed. When faced with these situations, stick to the “if-then” statements. For example:
   • If you're trying to avoid junk food, say, "If I go to the grocery store and can't take my eyes off the unhealthy snacks, I'll buy a box of whole grain cereals instead."
   • If you are trying to avoid alcohol consumption, say, "If someone offers me a drink, I'll just ask for lemonade."
   • If you are trying to control yourself, say, "If I get angry, I will immediately close my eyes, take a deep breath and count to ten to calm myself."
3. 3 Delay enjoyment.Yielding to desires is pleasant in the short term, but sometimes abstaining from them can strengthen overall willpower and increase feelings of satisfaction.There are many ways to postpone pleasure in your daily life, for example:
   • first take a cold shower and allow yourself to turn on warm water only after a few minutes;
   • wait five minutes before eating, even if you are hungry;
   • fast for one day (do this only if your health allows you, and consult your doctor in advance);
   • allow yourself to make the desired purchase only after a certain period of time, for example, after a week (this will also give you the opportunity to understand if you really need this item).
4. 4 Pay attention to your body. Research shows that periodically paying even a little attention to your posture, breathing, and more can increase your willpower and improve your mood. Here are some simple exercises:
   • remind yourself to sit upright;
   • stop from time to time to take a few deep breaths;
   • get up from your table or couch and take a five minute break every hour.
5. 5 Push yourself to exercise. Exercising is good for physical health as well as self-discipline. By taking responsibility for your body, you will build willpower in other areas of your life. Focus on creating an exercise plan that suits your lifestyle and abilities. Don't be afraid to start small, and remember that any improvement you can make will be worthwhile. It's important to stick to your plan. Depending on your experience, you can:
   • walk for 10 minutes a day, and then increase the time to 30 minutes or more;
   • create a workout plan outdoors or indoors;
   • do your favorite sport with friends one or more times a week;
   • train to run a five-kilometer marathon and more;
   • commute to work by bike, rather than by car or public transport;
   • climb mountains.
6. 6 Reject or replace unwanted thoughts. In addition to exercising, you can build willpower through mental attitudes. The most important thing is to focus on rejecting the thoughts that are oppressing you. As you practice self-control in this way, you will feel energized both in your feelings and in your thoughts.
   • You can replace negative thoughts with more positive ones. For example, if you tend to think, “I have never done this before and I don’t know how to deal with it,” reshape the situation: “For me, this is an opportunity to learn something new.”
   • Avoid certain people, places, situations, media, and other elements of life that tend to make you think negatively.
7. 7 Meditate. Simple meditation practices can dramatically increase mood and self-awareness, as well as improve health and reduce stress. If you make the habit of meditating periodically, even for five minutes at a time, you will train your willpower, both by sticking to a specific goal and by deepening your sense of self-awareness. There are several types of meditation:
   • monotonous chanting of mantras, where you need to repeat a word or phrase over and over again;
   • self-awareness practices that help you become happier (during meditation, you need to focus on your consciousness with the help of breathing exercises and other techniques);
   • practices that combine meditation with physical activity, such as love meditation and tai chi practice;
   • certain breathing exercises from a yoga course;
   • visualization techniques.
8. 8 Focus on virtue. In part, to build willpower, attention should be paid to good deeds. For example, show compassion for other people, be a good friend, learn patience and honesty, and so on. Research shows that willpower and virtue are linked, so do things like this:
   • Do random acts of kindness every day, such as giving up your seat on public transport, paying a stranger's lunch anonymously, or cheering up someone in a difficult situation.
   • set aside at least one hour a week to help someone without waiting for requests;
   • become a volunteer in a community organization;
   • Be patient with family, friends, colleagues, and others, and be careful not to judge anyone.

Method 2 of 2: Maintain Your Success

1. 1 Set motivation for yourself. Knowing the reasons why you want to change will increase the likelihood that you will be successful in achieving your goal. If your goal is to build willpower, try to identify and understand the cause, whether specific or general. Here are different examples:
   • desire to come to work on time;
   • desire to quit smoking;
   • the desire to be kinder to other people;
   • desire to be more active;
   • desire to be more successful;
   • desire to connect with your spiritual side.
2. 2 Concentrate on one goal at a time. Increasing self-control in any aspect of life can have a positive effect on willpower in general. However, you are more likely to succeed in training and improving your willpower if you focus on one goal at a time. Prioritize and highlight bullet points to decide where to start. For example:
   • Suppose you have a common goal of becoming more successful in life, and you decide that it is best to start with work;
   • You are constantly late for work and decide that first you need to pay attention to time management;
   • Focus on training your willpower to get up early so you can get to work on time.
   • do not move on to another goal until you have successfully completed the first step.
3. 3 Observe your behavior. When training your willpower, it's important to track your progress. This way, you will be able to understand if you are getting closer to success or if you need to make any adjustments to improve the situation.
   • For example, if you are trying to get to work on time, keep a journal every day in which you write down what time you go to bed and when you wake up. Notice if you are making improvements and if you need to make some adjustments. For example, if you find yourself waking up on time every day except Monday, use your now strengthened willpower to fix it.
   • There are several websites, apps, and programs that help you track your progress towards your goals. However, do not overdo it with self-control and do not get carried away using these applications, as they can take you time and lead to a decline in willpower.
4. 4 Reward yourself. It is perfectly normal and beneficial to reward yourself from time to time for achieving goals and building willpower. Pamper yourself when you are successful. The main thing is to make sure that building willpower is a realistic goal, not a short-term achievement.
5. 5 Get enough sleep. Getting good rest is essential if you want to successfully train and improve your willpower. With mental and physical exhaustion, the chances of success are reduced. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep a day, so set a goal for yourself.