“The one quality which sets one apart from another – the key which lifts one to every aspiration while others are caught up in the mire of mediocrity – is not talent, formal education, nor intellectual brightness; it is self-discipline. With self-discipline, all things are possible. Without it, even the simplest goal can seem like the impossible dream.” — Theodore Roosevelt, from The Skinny on Willpower by Jim Randel Self-discipline, or what is more commonly called willpower, is an
important component in the traits that are required to achieve long term goals such as hard work, determination, and perseverance. These are being wrapped up in a trait that psychology researchers are calling grit. “In a series of provocative new studies at the University of Pennsylvania, researchers find that the gritty are more likely to achieve success in school, work and other pursuits—perhaps because their passion and commitment help them endure the inevitable setbacks that occur in any long-term undertaking. In other words, it’s not just talent that matters but also character. “Unless you’re a genius, I don’t think that you can ever do better than your competitors without a quality like grit,” says Martin E. P. Seligman.” — Peter Doskoch
Grit goes beyond willpower, but willpower is a necessary component of grit. In addition, willpower is critical in many short term goals and daily activities that don’t require large amounts of grit.
“There is nothing that matters more in goal accomplishment than the ability to resist the urge to give in to little voices that tell us that it’s okay to quit when the going gets tough? The key to success with any goal is to withstand temptation and persist through discomfort.” – Caroline Adams
Your Willpower is Limited
Research has clearly demonstrated that willpower is a limited
resource. When you exercise deliberate control to suppress urges, suppress thoughts, make decisions, resist temptations, or summon the will to do something, you are depleting a limited supply. Having used up some of that supply, you will find it more difficult to summon willpower in the next situation in which you need it.
Sleep seems to refresh your supply of your willpower much like it refreshes other mental resources. There are also indications that exercise and meditation increase your overall willpower capacity. This should not be surprising as both exercise and mediation have been shown to improve a
wide range of mental functions. A sugary drink (definitely not recommended), or a rest period will also help.
The bottom line is that you must find ways to limit your need to use your willpower and thus preserve this critical resource.
Make it a Habit
The absolute best thing you can do to ensure you have the willpower to persist in the face of challenges and temptations, is to simply conserve it. One way to do this by turning as much positive activity as possible into habitual behavior. I assume you don’t have to exert willpower to brush your teeth every day and that doing so has just become an automatic part of your daily routines.
About 10 years ago I went on a very strict diet for about 1 year. I went cold turkey on a bunch of crap I had been stuffing myself with for decades. This took a lot of willpower at first, but after a few months on the diet it took absolutely no self-control to maintain. I simply got in the habit of refusing to eat certain foods. There was no decision involved. I didn’t have to continually debate whether I should or I shouldn’t eat something and I thereby preserved my willpower resources for other issues. Over the subsequent years, when I applied less strict standards, I found myself failing to eat properly much more
frequently. This was especially true when my willpower was drained at the end of a stressful day.
Other Ways to Enhance and Conserve Your Willpower
Avoid Temptations
You simply need to avoid putting yourself in situations that will constantly require you to exercise control of some tendency or urge. This may seem counter-intuitive, but the evidence of depletion is convincing. Connect Your Actions to Deep Values
Value-based decisions are easier to make. They require less deliberate control. You are creating rules for your behavior ahead of time. A deep commitment to the values that are thus represented, make the decisions to act or to refrain from acting much easier as the individual situations arise.
Plan For Problems
When you are attacking a project, try to plan ahead for problems and challenges. By creating some black and white rules for how you will act under certain circumstances, you can reduce the need for stressful deliberation.
Create a Keyword Reminder
Create a keyword or short phrase to remind yourself of whatever deep value you are trying satisfy and then use that keyword whenever you find yourself weakening. It will remind you and motivate you to continue. Furthermore you will create a habit of responding positively to the keyword. Don’t Dilute Your Willpower Reserve
If you try to tackle too many projects or goals at once, you will likely not have enough willpower reserve to accomplish them all. Control Your Thoughts
“Willpower is directly connected to mind control. Once you realize that you have the ability to eject negative thoughts from you mind and inject positive thoughts into the void, you have taken a gigantic step toward a lifetime of self-discipline as and when you need it.” – Jim Randel Break Tasks Into Small Chunks
It takes a lot of willpower to create momentum and get started on projects for which there is a large gap between where you are now and where you need to get to. Instead, focus on the first tiny step that you can almost fall into.
Give Yourself Time to Recover
If you have just finished a willpower sucking activity, give yourself a break before starting anything else that requires self-discipline. Use the Morning
Since your willpower is strongest in the morning, it just makes sense to undertake those activities that require the most willpower as early in the day is possible. For example if you are starting an exercise program, try to develop the exercise habit in the morning when your willpower is at its strongest.
For an excellent treatment of willpower I recommend The Skinny on Willpower, How to Develop Self Discipline by Jim Randel. What do you think? Leave a comment and join the conversation.
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有一种品质可以使一个人在碌碌无为的平庸之辈中脱颖而出，这个品质不是天资，不是教育，也不是智商，而是自律。有了自律，一切皆有可能，无，则连最简单的目标都显得遥不可及。–西奥多·罗斯福
自律，又常称意志力，是在实现目标的艰辛路途上不可或缺的品质，其他还需要的品质有努力，决心和毅力。心理学家称这些品质为“坚毅”。 在宾夕法尼亚大学一系列新研究中，研究人员发现，坚韧不拔的人更容易在学业、工作及其他方面获得成功，这也许是因为他们富有激情，忘我投入，才可以克服漫长道路上不可避免的绊脚石。换句话说，成功不仅要靠才能，还要有一种个性，一种精神。马丁·赛李曼说过：“如果没有坚韧不拔的精神，除非你是天才，否则是不会胜出的。”–彼得·道斯考 坚毅比意志力含义更深远，所以意志力是坚毅的一部分。除此之外，要实现日常的短期目标，意志力也是极为重要的。 “要想实现目标，最重要的在举步维艰的时候是决不气馁。成功的关键就在于能抵挡住诱惑，顽强拼搏。”卡罗兰·亚当斯
你的意志力是有限的
研究表明意志力是有限资源。当你下意识地抑制自己的冲动、想法、下意识地做出决定、抵制诱惑，全力以赴，你就会逐渐疲惫。这种意志就会耗尽之后，你就无法积蓄下一阶段所需要的意志力。 睡眠可以恢复你的意志力，就想恢复你的其他精神一样。还有迹象表明运动和冥想也可提高你的总意志力，这不足为奇，因为运动和冥想可以提高许多精神活动。总之，多休息放松。 底线是你必须在必要时用意志力，同时注意用量以免过早地殆尽了。
习惯成自然
最好的做法就是在挑战和诱惑面前坚定不移，把这些积极的做法形成你的习惯。你看，每天早上刷牙，你需要毅力吗？那是每天例行的。
10年前，我节食了一年，我每天就胡乱吃了一点冻火鸡。这一开始的确需要很大的意志力，但几个月之后，我就不用控制自己了。不用多想也不用纠结，我习惯不吃一些东西了。这样我就不用把有限的意志力放在这个问题上了。接下来几年，我的节食没那么严格了，于是我的饮食规律开始有点不正常，尤其是在我劳累一天，毅力耗尽之时。
其他提高和储存意志力的方法
避免诱惑
你用不着总是把自己放在时不时考验毅力的境地里。这似乎有点反直觉，但是许多证据表明那样的话，你的意志力很容易就耗尽了。
做有意义的事