I’ve just listened to a fantastic blog on willpower. And it was completely the opposite of what I thought it would be. I was already thinking ‘ok, here we go again… another rah rah bag about how you just need to be stronger, use more self control and more will power!’
But it was the complete opposite! It was so refreshing to hear someone else say that will power has nothing to do with weight loss.
willpower
noun
- control exerted to do something or restrain impulses.
“most of our bad habits are due to laziness or lack of willpower”
I hear the words ‘I wish I had your willpower’ a lot. Especially around my food choices or choosing to drink non alcoholic drinks. As you know, I’m partial to the odd gin n’ tonic or piece of chocolate just as everyone else.
My decision to consume less of these has absolutely nothing to do with willpower but everything to do with knowing my why.
When I do hear the willpower bomb, my internal response is often it’s got nothing to do with willpower, I’m actually quite low when it comes to willpower!
It’s remembering my why and realising what’s more important at that very moment in time.
Quite honestly, most mornings my willpower would prefer to stay in bed drinking tea with my cats – is it willpower that gets me out of bed?? Nope – it’s knowing that if I don’t, my risk of long term health issues will increase and I won’t be able to out train my children!!!
So out of bed I get to do my own training.
Do I enjoy it? Not when I’m on my own – is that willpower? Nope, that’s knowing my why.
And my why is stronger than my excuses.
And there it is, the willpower myth is really another excuse, maybe what we need to be saying is I’m not quite ready to go to that next level of change in my life.
Sometimes the willpower excuse can be used instead of saying ‘I’m just not ready yet’.
It’s ok to not be ready – if we look at the process of change:
Is willpower there?? Nope, we just have to be ready and if you’re not ready for change… well that’s ok because if you’re not ready, change isn’t going to happen.
I see this a lot, when people sign up for a nutrition plan or fitness regime and they sound ready, they go well for a couple of weeks and then excuses start.
When we say we don’t have enough willpower it actually is another excuse.
If you’re not ready for change, that’s ok.
Really it is.
You need to be ready for change and if you hear you self saying ‘ if only I had more willpower’ maybe change your words to ‘ I’m not quite ready for that yet’ and explore that process of change to get the results you want.
For change to happen we need to be ready mentally.
It’s ok to own you’re not ready; willpower is something separate, but knowing your purpose behind your why that’s something else! So go work on your why.
My why is trying to do everything I can to keep me fit and strong with as much muscle on board as I can muster!
What’s your why?