Setting goals and reaching them can be a challenge for most us. I came across a great article with some fun tips for helping to strengthen our will. Seriously, this can be a challenge for the best of us and while the insight below can really help, this is an area of life where some professional coaching can really make a big difference.<\/p>\n
by Ali Luke<\/a>, in Dumb Little Man<\/a>, Aug. 2, 2011<\/em> How often have you tried to achieve a goal that requires a lot of willpower?<\/p>\n How often have you failed?<\/p>\n So many goals can feel almost impossible, because they need a constant commitment to changing our usual ways. If you\u2019re trying to lose weight, get out of debt, cut out the procrastination or even brush your teeth twice a day, you’ve got to keep on making the right choices \u2013 and it\u2019s all too easy to let a moment of weakness derail your plans completely.<\/p>\n Exercising willpower or self-discipline takes up a lot of energy. How Habits Work When you\u2019re using your willpower to make changes in your life, you\u2019re going against many of your established habits. For instance, if you\u2019re trying to lose weight:<\/p>\n The problem is, it\u2019s all too easy to let things slide. If you stop at the coffee shop every morning, those donuts will be there, tempting you. If you have to walk past three fast food outlets to get to a store that sells healthy sandwiches, there\u2019s a good chance the lure of a burger and fries will be too much for you. And once you\u2019re at home in the evening, how likely is it that you\u2019ll get up from the sofa and go out to the gym?<\/p>\n It\u2019s much easier to use your willpower once to set up a good habit than to keep on struggling again and again to overcome a bad habit.<\/p>\n For instance, if you want to save $100 per month, then don\u2019t force yourself to write out a check every time. Instead, set up an automated transfer from your bank account \u2013 that way, the money will go out without you lifting a finger. It becomes more effort to not save than to save.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re trying to establish a new routine, do your best to find ways to break old habits. Don\u2019t stop at that coffee shop, intending to order a skinny latte (chances are, you\u2019ll end up with a full-fat cappuccino and a doughnut). Instead, cut the coffee shop out of your routine altogether. Go to a smoothie bar instead, or take a thermos of coffee with you.<\/p>\n Here are a few other ways that you can use willpower once to make a new habit easier than an old one:<\/p>\n Maybe some of these suggestions have sparked off a new idea for you, or perhaps you’ve got your own way to use willpower effectively. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Setting goals and reaching them can be a challenge for most us. I came across a great article with some fun tips for helping to strengthen our will. Seriously, this can be a challenge for the best of us and while the insight below can really help, this is an area of life where some […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[51,46],"tags":[8,6,24,14],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2161,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255\/revisions\/2161"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coachingreallyworks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI\u2019m sure you\u2019ve had the experience of starting several new goals at once (perhaps in January) \u2013 trying to get fit and quit smoking and cut your spending and read more books. Chances are, you didn\u2019t manage to stick with any of them \u2013 your willpower was simply stretched too thin.
\nSo, are you doomed to fail? Of course not. You just need to make sure you\u2019re using your willpower the right way.<\/p>\n
\nUnlike willpower, habits don\u2019t require a massive amount of energy. They\u2019re automatic \u2013 like taking a shower in the morning or putting on your seat belt when you get into a car. You barely think about them.<\/p>\n\n
\n
\n