How strong is your willpower?
Just like muscles, willpower needs to be actioned daily to build strength and stamina!
We all have dreams, goals and desires, and we are great at making plans, setting goals, and then when we have one small slip up on the path to success, we usually throw the whole plan out of the window, before we really had a chance to succeed!
Exercising your mental muscle everyday, even if it just tiny steps at the start, helps to strengthen your abilities to stick with your plans and achieve success.
These 10 easy steps will help you build momentum forward:-
1. PICK ONE GOAL – Yes, yes, yes, we all want to be slim, gorgeous, wealthy, with a perfect partner, living in our dream home and spending 6 months of the year travelling the world……..but stop for just a minute…….and pick ONE goal to focus your time and energy on to start with. New Years Day often starts with a bang and you are going to change everything about your life, and by 5.oopm you have already given up because it is too hard. What is truly the most important single goal you would love to achieve. Start with one, you can always add more later.
2. FORGIVE – Forgiving all your past mistakes and failures, helps you to release all the negative emotions caught up in the memories of things gone wrong. Try the ancient Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono by simply chanting the following phrase – “I am sorry, please forgive me, I love you, thank you”. This is a powerful tool for clearing hurt from the past.
3. BENEFITS – Make a list of all the benefits of achieving your goal. How will you feel, how will you look, where will you go, who will you be with, how does your life look, will others benefit from your success. Draw on the power of imagination to create a picture of success.
4. OBSTACLES – Identify what is stopping you and what is causing you to fail. Once you know the enemy it is easier to avoid it. If there are particular times of the day when you often fall off the goal band wagon, be aware and plan a distraction for that time.
5. BIGGEST BONUS – Find a single word that sums up perfectly what you are trying to achieve, and put this word on display everywhere. Put it on your bathroom mirror, on the fridge, in your wallet, on the sunvisor in your car, on your computer, anywhere you go regularly around the home, so that your sub-consious is constantly reminded why you are trying to change, everytime you walk past the ‘word’.
6. FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS – Think about all the good things you will feel and see when you achieve your goal, DO NOT focus on what you have to ‘give up’ or ‘go without’ to get there! If you can find a picture that is a great representation of where you are headed that you can look at whenever you feel like doing something that will slow down your progress.
7. GET CREATIVE – Find new ways to get motivated and stay on track. Change your scenery, read books that will inspire you, partner with a friend if you would benefit from accountability, search the net for information and ideas that will help you acheive your goal.
8. WRITE IT DOWN – Keep a journal of your progress, even if it is just single line notes. Jot down positive and negative actions that you have taken. Looking back over your notes can be really inspirational and can also highlight to you any ‘bad’ habits that are continually occuring.
9. AFFIRMATIONS – Create the perfect affirmation to match your goal. Always ensure that your affirmation is in the positive and as though you have already acheived your goal. Start your affirmations with words such as “I love my……… or “I am really enjoying……. or “I am successful”. Recite your affirmation regulary, and try and feel the positive emotions of acheiving success.
10. GIVE THANKS – Gratitute is a powerful attractor. The more you give thanks for the more that will come into your life to give thanks for. Use the notes you wrote down and feel thankful that you took those positive steps. Even give thanks for the little ‘trip ups’ that might have occured, as you realise they are keeping your from your goal.
Sharing for #FYBF at With Some Grace
Some nice thought provoking words there. I have to agree that a positive mental attitude is often the biggest key to success, what was it we learnt – you can eat an elephant one bite at a time.
Love these tips! Thanks for sharing the inspiration. Sometimes I really feel like just giving up on some of my goals.. But these tips will help to motivate me on I’m sure.
Ai @ Sakura Haruka
Great advice. I have definitely been exercising my use of willpower recently in my sugar detox. Focusing on the benefits definitely works for me as does writing down affirmations.
Very motivational and inspiring post! Mental strength can be so tough to build – I slowly discovered that when training and running the half marathon. But wow…does your body and well being feel great when crossing that finish line!
Well said! Now I just have to work out which one I’m going to focus on!!! 🙂 Cheers, Alison
I like the idea of affirmations. It’s easy to get caught up in the goals and rewards without the keeping on keeping on in the midle.
I think I need to find a reason to get motivated first, (silly really as I do have 3 little cute ones) and then I will refer to this! Emily
Great post — good things to think about!
I have terrible willpower. I start exercise and for a week or two I am good and then it all falls to pieces. I really need to do the things on your list 🙂