“Strength does not come from physical capacity.
It comes from an indomitable will.”
– Mahatma Gandhi
Strengthen your Willpower!
Ever have those days where you’re having a battle with yourself to push harder, run faster, lift heavier, jump a little higher… Few tips to push through, strengthen that will power and really make yourself proud after battling through a tough session!
✔Visualise Success
Some call it “following their dreams” while others may call it a “mental rehearsal”. If you want to lose weight, picture yourself going through the efforts to lose weight…and eventually getting there: the glasses of water instead of soda…the fruit instead of junk snacks…the evening walks, etc… Picture it all. By mentally projecting where we want, we’re giving ourselves a mental road map to follow. When we visualise our future success, we start to believe in it…and we start to believe in our self.
✔Exercise Control
Now that we’ve pictured ourselves reaching our goal, it’s time to take the physical steps to get there. If your goal is to cut back on afternoon snacking, replace the habit with another one. For example, instead of going to the office vending machine try packing an apple or bag of cereal. If your goal is to start running, make a realistic plan (see 10-week plan on preceding link). Next, put your clothes at the foot of your bed for tomorrow morning. Strengthening our willpower involves taking control of life’s habits…one at a time. We need to prove to ourselves that we’re not along for the ride, but rather that we’re in control of our life!
✔Repetition & Practice
The first day on a diet or the first workout can feel like a daunting task. You’re entering new territory. And sometimes this experience can be tough to handle, as the hunger pangs or sore muscles try to coax us back into our old habits & routine. Resist the urge. Our willpower will constantly get challenged by the temptations of our old lifestyle. You can combat these temptations, by mentally deferring them. Example: “I’ll try running until I get to the end of this 10-week schedule and then see how I feel”. The more you flex your self-control muscle as you diet and exercise, the more confidence you’ll gain. You’ll also notice that the person staring back at you in the mirror is starting to look a lot more like the person that you want to be
✔Positive Attitude
The final willpower booster is hard to quantify…it can propel with you to your goal with a breath of determination…or derail your efforts with a sigh of pessimism. A big part in believing in ourselves is a positive outlook. Positive things happen to positive people. It does not pay to wallow in self-pity. If you fall off the “wagon”, get back up and try again. If we are truly determined to succeed, we must view things in a positive light; forgive ourselves when we falter; and keep our heads held high as we try again…and again. You’ll only get there if you keep going.
Willpower…motivation…determination…all of these can be nurtured, strengthened, and fortified to give us an inner source of energy like no other. And someday when you reach your goal (which you will), you may just find that this source of energy can be used to not only invigorate yourself, but to help encourage those around you to succeed as well!
Amazing work by everyone tonight – keep it strong and finish this week stronger #teamlodge
