Surely each of us would like to develop a useful habit, for example, wake up early in the morning, do exercises, take a morning contrast shower, eat as many healthy fruits as possible ... A familiar situation, isn't it? Below we consider concepts such as willpower, personality development psychology, and motivation. These concepts, although close, are not identical.
Will Test
We bring to your attention a simple mini-test of willpower. Read the questions and mentally answer them
1. Do you do a tedious job right away?
2. Can you easily do what you don't like?
3. Can you in case of conflict calm down emotions and figure out who is right and who is not?
4. Can you diet for a long time?
5. Can you get up early if you decide?
6. Do you immediately respond to messages on social networks?
7. Will you take the unpleasant medicine that you are prescribed?
8. Do you always keep your word?
9. Do you decide on a trip easily?
10. Do you have a daily routine?
For each positive answer, give yourself 1 point. If you score more than 5 points, then you have willpower. If not, then draw conclusions.
How to develop willpower?
To do this is not an easy task, but the result will significantly change life for the better, since willpower and character are very important things, one might say, irreplaceable. The main thing is to ask this question in a timely manner. Willpower, personality development psychology - these words are very fashionable now, but for most people they are empty.
Taking an action, a person on a subconscious level regards it according to two criteria:
- Is it worth it to do this?
- Is it feasible to fulfill it?
As for the first, this is motivation. If circumstances can benefit us, of course, we will willingly proceed with actions. The second is beliefs, fortitude, that is, whether a person will be able to perform certain actions - will he have enough perseverance, skills and abilities.
Why can't you rely on just one motivation?
Today you can find a lot of psychological literature, which provides tips and tricks on how to increase your motivation. However, in practice, such advice is of little use, they do not provide an answer to the question of where to get the willpower. Motivation is not a personal characteristic of a person. This is, above all, the pleasure received from a job well done or aerobatic results.
So what happens. You want to change your life for the better, you decided to do exercises every day, you understand that it is useful, you have motivation.
You do exercises every morning, learn new exercises with interest, discuss them with your comrades. Your motivation is growing.
After a couple of days, enthusiasm burns out. Exercises that have recently been new are boring, gradually you switch to other things. Motivation comes to naught. As a result, you completely stop performing daily exercises. You understand that this is useful and necessary for the good of your health.
For any business, just one inspiration is not enough. Many factors influence intrinsic motivation. If you are hungry or tired, respectively, and motivation will be reduced. Nurturing willpower is no easy matter. But if you are relaxed and full of energy, motivation increases.
How to develop willpower. Four strategies. The first is the promise
Imagine that you had a conversation with friends, colleagues, enemies, and you decided to lose the extra 10 kilograms within 3 months and make every effort to achieve the desired result. If you doubt yourself and do not want to make loud statements, tell your relatives and close friends about your intentions. Following the promise, take action. This is one of the ways to train willpower.
People who are interested in your initiative will certainly be interested in your achievements, encourage you, wish good luck. However, enemies will meet along the way, who will only expect your failure.
As a result, you will not live up to the hopes of the first and give only an excuse for the enemies to spread rot and pour mud. An absurd situation, isn't it? It is these actions that are designed for your self-preservation instinct - the unwillingness to be humiliated will reinforce your motivation for the best achievements. I immediately recall folk wisdom - the “strategy of death": either you make a commitment and win, or you are defeated - you are destroyed.
Right habits
The first strategy will seem quite extreme. But in reality, it will give a result. It will help develop efforts to move in the right direction. It’s nice to complement strategy number 2.
As a rule, any goal can be achieved if you do not stop and regularly go to it. If you want to test your willpower, force yourself to regularly do what will benefit you in the future. You can develop positive habits - morning exercises, jogging.
I want to tell you a little story. African hero and explorer Henry Morton Stanley made it a rule to shave every day, regardless of where he is - on vacation, in a comfortable environment, in the jungle, in a state of fatigue or hunger. Daily shaving was not his fundamentally important habit, but it allowed him to maintain a “human appearance”, youth and authority before his companions. This motivated him, reminded that the main task is not survival, but a way to prove that the face should be in perfect shape. This is a challenge to hostile nature, the desire to prove that even in a difficult situation, a person must find within himself the strength of the will to remain human.
If you systematically perform the same actions, they will certainly become a habit, and you will not have to force yourself. If you regularly stimulate yourself to action, you will notice that difficulties are overcome easier.
Forced inclusion
A good way to increase motivation is to prioritize tasks that need to be completed, but least of all you want. Assume that your task is to make a difficult project for work or study, you have to meet a rude and unpleasant person, in the end wash a bunch of dirty dishes or clean up the pantry. As a rule, such activities bring us little pleasure. However, they are interesting to us from a different perspective. What exactly is capable of strengthening willpower in a given situation?
If the matter is complicated and interesting for us, of course, we are happy to proceed with its implementation. In this case, we are driven by interest, it is he who motivates us to action. If the case is not of interest to us, then, accordingly, strong-willed efforts should be made. The question is asked: "Why then wait until the will-power" turns on under adverse conditions, if everything can be fixed in advance? " Initially, it will be a burden to do things that matter little to us, but this is the main criterion by which we can judge a weak will.
Sport
A great way to cultivate willpower is to play sports. Sport means not just some kind of training, but also success. Remember the long-forgotten slogan: “Faster! Higher! Stronger!". Sport is not only a competition with your opponent, it is also a test of your will and aspirations. It doesn’t matter what type it is: football, tennis, weightlifting or athletics - in any case, you make an attitude for yourself aimed at achieving a positive result, and strive to achieve them by all means. However, success can be hindered by tiredness, fading of interest, and failure. The result can be achieved only by making every effort, including willpower! But imagine what a long-awaited victory will be! Failures and disappointments are better overcome in competitions than in realities - by trial and error.
Do not put off until later!
Pay attention to yourself, go in for sports! Start with a morning run, they will allow you to record your achievements and set new goals! And finally: before you make a promise to yourself, think about the question of whether this work is feasible for you. Once having said to yourself: “I can”, be sincere in front of yourself, keep your promise without breaking the word!
How to develop willpower? Do not put off until later - take action now!
As a rule, the fight against our bad habits is to quit smoking, eat less, play sports, we always put off until later, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. Quite often, we say to ourselves: “I'll start tomorrow, and so on.” And day after day, we ourselves are deceiving ourselves. Many people care about how to develop a willpower. Let's look at some recommendations that will actually help to cope with this difficult task.
Do what you want!
No matter how strange this setting may seem, but in reality it can help overcome apathy and develop strong-willed qualities. Remember the less desirable things - to clean the house, wash the dishes, take out the trash. Do not pull until tomorrow, otherwise tomorrow's worries will double. Learn to solve problems small, and after a few months you will notice positive results.
Running will allow you to keep yourself not only in good physical shape and will have a positive effect on your health, well-being, and will also be a wonderful answer to the question of how to train willpower. For jogging, you need to wake up early, pack up, go to the park or to the stadium, run about 8 kilometers, and this, believe me, is worth the volitional effort. No matter what slanting looks and mocking smiles of passers-by you come across, do not pay attention. They understand what tremendous work you are doing.
Think about self-development
Any hobbies: needlework, learning foreign languages, astrology - will only contribute to the strengthening of willpower. People who have succeeded in any business have made a lot of strong-willed efforts. Why don't you start with your favorite business?
You can not? Find someone to support you.
Self-organization is a difficult task, but the willpower of a person is developed precisely with its help. If you can’t coordinate yourself in actions, force yourself to run in the mornings, try visiting the gym or fitness center. Classes will unite like-minded people, they will develop special skills in you, and this is the first step to success! Find people with a strong will, communicate with them, ask for support, and you will be someone to follow!
"Moscow was not built in a day!" - surely each of us had to hear the old Russian proverb. In fact, she speaks for herself. Do not exaggerate your capabilities, do not immediately build ambitious plans. Failure to do so can tremendously shake self-confidence. Achieve your goal consciously and gradually. We hope that in the article we were able to answer the question of how to develop willpower.