Humans, for centuries, have been conditioned into doing things. We are creatures of habit.
The human conditioning of the mind starts from a very early age. Remember when you were a child? It was your parents, teachers and other superiors that conditioned you to create your first habits.
Those first few habits that were learned were to eat when you feel hungry, go to the bathroom when you want to urinate, and sleep when it get’s dark. At this point in our lives, all of those actions are automatic to us but at one point in our life they had to be learned and repeated multiple times before the automation kicked in. The same goes for making will power a habit.
What Exactly Is A Habit?
Habit is an action that you have done so often that it becomes automatic to the brain. It requires very little thinking. After conscious effort on a consistent basis, towards a certain action, the brain automates that action. There are many examples of involuntary actions in our everyday lives. For example, when you ask for something, your habits have automated you to say “please.” Another common example is driving your car. The consistent route you take to go to work has become automatic in your brain and requires little to no effort. Sometimes you may even forget that you made all those turns and stops consciously!
Can Willpower Be Made Into A Habit?
Habits are formed through consistent behavioral patterns. Willpower is no different! Once you make the conscious effort to exude willpower on a regular basis, your brain will register these kind of actions and make a habit out of them. Do you think LeBron James forces himself to go to the gym every day and push himself to his limits? Do you think he forces himself to eat clean? Absolutely not! When he first started his quest for greatness, he forced himself to do these tasks but after consistent repetition, all of these tasks have become habit to Lebron. Just like Lebron, you can develop the habit of willpower too!
“Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.”
How Can I Make Willpower A Habit?
When it comes to willpower many worry that they are too late, too weak minded, or simply lack the structure to develop willpower. Studies have proven that regardless of your circumstance, you can develop willpower! Recent studies have proven that willpower as a habit can be cultivated by any person at any age. Here are 3 ways on how you can make willpower your habit:
Set your goals: In order to build willpower, start with a habit you want to create. Write it down as a goal and ensure that all of your decisions lead you to fulfill this specific goal. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight. You need to consciously identify the source of the issue. In most cases it is due to a lack of exercise and poor dieting habits. After identifying the root cause of the issue, you can begin to develop routines and procedures to replace those previous habits with new ones. Overtime your conscious decisions towards your goals will become automatic and you will have developed a new and effective habit! Remember, a goal oriented approach helps with willpower.
Keep a positive approach: All those who have a high level of willpower have had setbacks along the way. That is okay too! So long as you are able to recover from those slip ups and engage back into your routines and procedures. Keep yourself focused on the end goal and think of your setbacks as little hurdles along the way. A positive approach keep your encouraged on this habit journey.
Manage Stress: For you to make a habit, you have to stay consistent. When you first begin, this may end up stressing you out. In those cases, remind yourself to remain calm and focus on the bigger picture. That’s what will keep you going much longer! Cut out all of the negative influences around you. You need to realize that you are doing this for yourself and nobody else in this world.
Willpower requires consistency, determination and focus. Start working on your willpower and you will soon see a stronger, more determined and better version of yourself.
