Willpower is an essential ingredient in achieving success, for achieving the goals you set in life. However, we often fail precisely because we lose willpower. In fact, we usually start a project with a lot of enthusiasm, but often along the way we lose momentum and end up abandoning the project. What happened?
- Excess of self-control. It may seem like a contradiction, but the truth is that willpower is quite similar to a balancing act, it is not an inexhaustible capacity but something that we should dose intelligently. A study on self-indulgence showed that we are more likely to fall into temptation when we have spent a whole day exercising self-control. It is also known that people are more prone to be unfaithful late in the evening, which is no coincidence, as their reserves of self-control are nearly exhausted in the evening. Therefore, at times, excessive willpower becomes your worst enemy in achieving your goals. Fortunately, the solution is simple: Strive for activities that are really worthwhile and take a break from those that aren't that important.
- Traits of moderation. The vast majority of people overestimate their willpower. For this reason, gyms usually fill up during the first months of the year and then empty quickly, in a few weeks. In essence, we think we are stronger, more controlled, and more persistent than we really are. Therefore, do not expose yourself to situations that may be tempting because you could fall into their net more easily than you think.
- Negative beliefs too ingrained. Imagine that your goal is to reach the second floor of a shopping center and to do so you have to use the escalators, only these, instead of going up, go down. As you can imagine, it will take a major effort to get to your destination. These ingrained beliefs are the escalators that push you back. For example, if you want to reach a position of greater responsibility in your job or carry out a very ambitious project, a deep-seated negative belief that can slow you down is that you are not good enough or smart enough to accomplish what you set out to do. Obviously, to counter these beliefs it is necessary to first identify them and then replace these thoughts with ideas that stimulate you to continue.
- Disregard the social context. No one is an island in itself, we know it well, but we often reject this idea, especially with regard to certain objectives. That is, we set goals as if their realization depended only on us and we forget that we live in a social context full of temptations that present themselves in the most diverse forms. For example, quitting smoking while being part of a social group in which everyone is heavy smokers is not impossible, but it will certainly be more difficult, it will be like climbing a mountain with a weight tied around your waist. Therefore, before setting yourself a goal, make sure you are well prepared to face all obstacles.
- Lack of sleep. Many times, when we engage in some projects we fall victim to eustress. That is, motivation gives us an extra dose of energy that allows us to stay awake many more hours than is recommended. Obviously, over time, sleep loss presents the bill, especially by undermining our willpower. Therefore, if you are considering an ambitious project that you want to complete, you should be sure to get enough sleep to recharge your willpower.
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