so i learned a thing or two about willpower and the fact that is is more like a muscle then we’d ever realized. myself in particular, well my willpower is currently equivalent to that of a very flaccid muscle (or group of muscles, let’s say my abdominal region) that has long since been stretched and flexed and worked until it quivers! the fact remains that the human body is an amazing machine and muscles are an integral part of the physiology of the human body…and i aim to use my muscles to get back in shape this year and to start looking and feeling my best; and to get what i want and need. hmmm, you could take that last line to mean a couple of things, whatever floats your boat.
muscles are resilient, there is no doubt of that…and thank you for that indeed, because without the ability for resolve things would never get done! i do acknowledge that there is a lot of resolving going on this time of year that does in fact go undone, i’ll be the first to attest to that in years past…nonetheless my resolve and willpower has always been there, i’ve just never taken the opportunity to follow through with some (okay, okay MOST) of the things i resolve to do each new year. however like i stated in an earlier post, this IS the year of doing, a year of gratitude (more to come on that), a year of happening, a year of un-funking myself if you will, or de-funking, whatever! not that i don’t love funk…i love funk music (specifically the parliament funkadelic); but i do not like myself in a funk, and i mean to change that and make use of all of my muscles this year.
here are some more interesting tidbits about willpower:
- we’re wired for it, really…it’s called pause and plan…
- it fluctuates…like i said, it’s like a muscle, so feed it like one…you eat sugar you crash, you eat veggies you sustain…
- guilt does not work…don’t fall prey to “moral licensing”, in other words don’t self-sabotage…
- there are three (3) parts: the “i will”, “i won’t” and the “i want”…figure out what you will do, like it or not; figure out what you won’t do, fall asleep on the couch; and then figure out the i want based on…well, what you want! or you could call them goals, figure out what you want and why it’s worth it…then step it out.
use all the parts together and you will soon see the workings of resolve and willpower…flexing your muscles never felt so good! even if it was only for yourself and only in your mind or on a piece of paper…or in an online journal! btw…since my ramblings of the article i read on this may not read as eloquently as the article itself, or translate for you at all for that matter, here is the link…
http://kellymcgonigal.com/
dr. kelly mcgonigal was a contributor to the article in february’s whole living issue (referencing w.l. again! yes, again!). apparently it is not on the whole living website so if you can pick up the issue it’s a good article. or you can check her website out to read all about your flaccid willpower muscle and how to flex it! yay!
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
