Do you have a lack of will to achieve your goals? Do you want to have more willpower? Discover the psychological keys to increase your willpower and reach your goals.
We would all like to get what we want so much. In all these goals of ours willpower It is a key element to achieve this. That is why lack of will can be one of the main barriers to not reaching that point that we seek so much. In many cases, having willpower is the key to achieving our goals.
In our daily lives we call willpower in many different ways: determination, discipline, self-control, among others. According to psychologists, willpower is mainly distinguished by the following.
Delay gratification: When we talk about willpower, its meaning It is deeply rooted in the ability to postpone gratification to achieve something bigger or more important to us.
Cancel thoughts, feelings or impulses: The ability to override our thoughts, emotions or impulses is also one of the characteristics that are subject to the will For this reason, it is sometimes talked about as the emotional strength that we can all develop.
Think cold: People with a lack of willpower tend to be more impulsive. This is why it is said that these act hot. Instead, the meaning of will It refers to people who can think coldly, be more rational and balance in their mind the balance of benefits and disadvantages of each situation.
Conscious regulation: In the definition of will We cannot ignore the conscious role we have in regulating it. In this way, willpower is determined by us.
A limited resource capable of being exhausted: According to different studies, the willpower It is a resource that is depleted. Therefore it is limited.
Causes of lack of will
As we have already said, the willpower It is limited. Therefore, there are people who have a higher or lower degree of willpower. According to relevant research, our lack of willpower or inability to have much emotional strength may be due to the following reasons.
Low mental energy: In various studies it is suggested that people a person who expresses that ‘I do not have any will power ‘It may be because he has little energy. This happens since our brain is an organ that uses a lot of energy, which is why glucose (a substance that gives us energy) is essential for its proper functioning. Furthermore, when we are maintaining our self-control in the face of certain actions, that is, when we use our willpower both to diet and to do work, we are using a lot of that brain energy.
Beliefs and attitude: Muraven, a doctor in psychology from the University at Albany, discovered in one of his investigations that those people who felt obliged to have self-control (that is, to please others) were exhausted more easily than other subjects who were driven by their own internal goals and desires. That is why one of the best exercises to increase willpower It is precisely to be clear about what we really want in our life.
The willpower It affects all areas of your life. In this way, thanks to your will, you have the ability to achieve everything from the smallest to the largest goals.
The effects of willpower They were measured through a study conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel and his studies. In this, the behavior of a group of children was examined in a room with a bowl full of clouds. They were all told the same thing: if they waited 15 minutes they could eat two clouds. If they couldn’t resist the temptation, they could only eat one. When the same children were examined as adults it was discovered that those who had waited to obtain two clouds had achieved the following advantages in their lives.
Better self-esteem: Achieving our goals not only helps us financially or materially, but is also a good source of promoting our personal self-esteem. In these cases, increase willpower It also means being able to enjoy more security and personal confidence.
Better concentration: According to the research, children who had demonstrated a greater willpower had achieved better academic results than those who had a lack of will.
Stress management: Who has the will It also has the strength to better combat stress and the most suffocating situations. Willpower allows us to keep control of our negative emotions or thoughts.
Greater ability to solve problems: Many studies have shown that the benefits of having a greater willpower They extend into all areas of life. In many cases, it is related to performance at work and school as well as to control the abuse of certain substances such as alcohol or drugs.
Healthier life: In addition to all the aspects we have mentioned, willpower It is essential for losing weight or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Therefore, people who have willpower are more capable of maintaining healthy habits in their daily lives.
These are some of the benefits we get with willpower. In many cases, lack of will It can be the sign that something is wrong in our lives. If you think this may be your case, you can always consult with a professional psychologist.
How to have willpower?
It is very likely that your goal when reading this article is to know how to increase willpower in an effective way. According to psychology, there are some methods that can help you have more willpower.
Train your will as if it were a muscle: One of the keys to know how to train willpower is to think of it as if it were a muscle. In this way, like any other muscle, willpower can be strengthened through effort and time. To achieve this, you must set yourself different tasks that require some effort but are not too difficult to achieve. A good exercise is to try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand you usually use, or closing doors differently than you usually do. Through small samples of self-control you will be able to improve your willpower and the driving energy behind it.
Get enough sleep and maintain a healthy lifestyle: Rest is vital to be able to develop a good willpower In this way, sleeping and feeling completely rested is one of the keys to increasing willpower. In addition, exercising regularly and eating in a balanced way are also very effective tools to achieve greater willpower.
Meditate: Meditation has many benefits. Among one of them is to improve willpower. According to various research, meditating regularly improves our focus, self-control and therefore, our willpower
Have intrinsic motivation: As we have mentioned, one of the main causes of unwillingness It is precisely doing things for others and not for ourselves. Therefore, it is essential to know perfectly that what you do is what you really want in your life.
Keep your goal in your mind: Establishing small steps to reach an end goal is a good way to increase your emotional strength In your day to day. In many cases, the ability to visualize yourself at the end and enjoy the journey is the best thing you can do to gain more willpower.
The willpower It is one of the essential ingredients to be the best version of ourselves. In many cases, thanks to it we can be happy and enjoy all the moments that life gives us.
