Can you test your willpower.? — 50% You Will / 50% You Won’t…
What is willpower.? — Willpower is effectively a mental resource we have that allows us to resist our impulses and to motivate ourselves to achieve valued goals. There is no definitive research on what causes people to have more, or less, willpower.
There are likely to be a variety of factors, so it’s very possible your upbringing, genes and environment may affect your willpower. Stress may also be a factor for eg. if you’re spending a lot of time worrying about money or trying not to snap at someone, this will deplete your mental resources and ability to resist temptation.
Do I only have so much willpower to call upon.? — If willpower is a resource, then it raises the question — is it limited or endless? Essentially the amount of willpower you have is determined by your belief in the nature of willpower, also, it’s similar to the fact that some people believe talent and creativity are gifts you’re born with, while others believe such traits can be improved through effort. If you believe something is fixed or limited you’re not going to make as much effort to improve it than if you believe it can be developed.
There is no definitive test to assess your willpower but you can gauge personality traits. Answer the questions below and award points for each answer. Yes (4 pts), sometimes (3 pts), rarely (2 pts), no (1 pt).
· Do you embrace change.
· Do you like planning.
· Do you describe yourself as assertive?
· Do you see projects through to fruition?
· Do you consider yourself disciplined?
· Do you find it easy to concentrate?
· Do you feel generally relaxed in life?
· Do you usually keep your New Year’s resolution?
· Do you believe we have unlimited mental resources?
The maximum score is 36, the minimum is nine. The higher the score, the more likely you are to be someone who demonstrates strong willpower.
So, is it possible to improve your willpower.? my answer is yes…
Remove Temptation — If you’re trying to eat healthier, don’t just hide biscuits on a high shelf. You’re not stupid. You know those biscuits are there. In your mind you’ll keep going to those biscuits, so you’re constantly using up your willpower to resist temptation. It’s far easier to resist temptation if you throw the biscuits out. Same with alcohol and cigarettes. And delete those fast food apps.
Tackle one change at a time — Say that you want to lose weight, quit cigaretes, get a new job and drink less alcohol. Doing all those things together will be much more taxing than one at a time. Pick the thing you think you’ll have the greatest chance of achieving first — because success will help you to build self-belief in your ability to resist temptation.
Set achievable goals — One thing that stops people from achieving their goals is that they try to cope with unreal amounts of change. For instance, if you’re trying to eat healthier, don’t try to overhaul your diet in one go. Introduce it one at a time. Do that for two weeks and then add another and so on.
Rehearse stock phrases — Rehearse something you want to say when the people in your life try to lure you into temptation. If you’re trying to cut down on alcohol, it might be something like, I’m really trying to cut down on the amount I drink so if you insist on buying me a drink, I’d love a Diet Coke, thank you. Then repeat it like a broken record until you can say it on command.
Think about your core values — Think about what’s most important to you — family, having fun, independence, love or anything else — and spend five minutes writing about why that is.
Affirming core values reminds people of what’s important in life. This can help interrupt vicious cycles that would otherwise produce negative effects. If you want to make several changes to your habits do one at a time for the best chance of success.
