Issue 50: Supercharging Your Willpower
THE LEAP
BY QUANTUM ORANGE
GROW, EXPAND & EVOLVE
ISSUE 50 | SUPERCHARGING YOUR WILLPOWER
Each week The (Quantum) Leap summarises a key aspect of success into what you need to Think, Feel and Do to create a personal shift.
It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.
~ Sir Edmund Hillary
THINK
For a long time, psychologists thought of willpower as a limited resource, meaning we can use willpower for some time but eventually we will run out.
But recent research conducted at Stanford University by psychologist Carol Dweck found that willpower diminished only in the participants who believed it was a limited resource - those who didn’t believe it was limited didn’t have the same issue.
Another theory suggested by Krishna Savani is that, “Instead of thinking of willpower as the amount of petrol in a car…think of it as the car’s battery.” She believes with the right mindset and motivation we can own our self-control and motivation. It appears that if we believe we have the reserves available to tackle our challenges, we increase our chances of success.
Though building willpower is not easy, the science suggests “a huge part of the solution is simply believing that you can do it.” (Hollins, 2021).
To examine your thoughts on your own willpower reserves spend a few moments in self-reflection:
- Do you give up on tasks that don’t engage you?
- Do you engage in distractions to ease your discomfort when you know you are avoiding things you think you should be doing?
- What do you think you could do instead of taking the easy option?
- Do you believe your willpower is limited?
FEEL
Michael Inzlicht, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, believes willpower is not a finite resource but instead acts like an emotion. Just as we don’t run out of joy or anger, willpower ebbs and flows based on what’s happening to us and how we feel.
We can power through tasks that we don’t enjoy for a while, but we’ll never be our best if we ignore what our feelings are telling us. By listening to our lack of willpower as we would an emotion, we can manage and use it as such and learn to ride out bad feelings.
When a lack of mental energy is constant, we need to listen to our willpower just as we would our emotions and find out what insight is on offer.
Remember a time when you felt like you had no energy left for the task at hand and ask yourself:
- When you think you’re ‘spent’, how do you feel about your willpower?
- When you reward yourself with an indulgence, how do you feel?
- Now remember a time when you worked on a mentally demanding task for the pure enjoyment of the activity, even though it required intense concentration, it felt effortless for you…
- What does this tell you about your own mental stamina?
DO
Different psychological camps exist regarding willpower as a limited or unlimited resource, yet the brain's circuits for tenacity and willpower remain consistent. This means willpower is a reflection of a neural circuit function that is a skill, or an expression of something we all have within us. The exciting thing is this brain area is highly subject to neuroplasticity, so we can change and adapt.
There are specific things we can do and particular mindsets we can adopt that allow us to increase the activity (and even size) of this part of the brain. Some of these things are:
- Regular cardiovascular exercise
- Engaging in activities that require resistance and effort
- Pursuing challenging tasks like learning an instrument or a new language
- Engaging in activities beyond your comfort zone
Setting and overcoming challenges
Research has also shown that practicing self-control regularly for two weeks can lead to improvements in willpower. To prove it to yourself, begin with small tests of self-control that bring about a desired change in your life - like avoiding snacking for a couple of weeks, disconnecting from social media as you work, or showing greater patience with someone who challenges you.
Step 1: Choose an act of self-control that you will try to complete daily.
Step 2: Determine when, where, and how you will complete it.
Step 3: Keep a record of whether you completed your act of self-control.
Once you have proven to yourself that your willpower can grow, you may find it easier to resist other kinds of temptation or distraction. With perseverance, you should see your mindset shifting, and with it a greater capacity to master your thoughts, feelings and behaviour so that your actions drive you towards your goals.
