Willpower isn't an easy commodity to come by. Sometimes it flows forth naturally, but all too often it gets pushed aside in favor of the easier, more pleasurable and less beneficial paths in life. Why put yourself through torture, after all, when you can just eat a bag of cookies?

Because it's not good for you. Willpower is your body's way of saying, no, what you want to do isn't good for you. Cut it out. It can apply to any number of things: smoking, eating, exercising and plenty else besides. Willpower demands you take the tougher path because, in the end, you'll be better off as a result.

But that tougher path isn't easy to take. Why should it be? If it were you wouldn't need willpower. If it were easier to chow down on carrots and celery all day there wouldn't be an obesity pandemic in North America. Yet like all good things the way to self-improvement can't often be tread without a degree of difficulty, and to surmount that difficulty you need that willpower.

We all have it. We can, if we REALLY want to, deny ourselves pleasures. Anybody who says "no, no, I'm too weak, I can't do it" is lying to themselves, and smothering their willpower with delusion. You CAN do it. You just have to TELL yourself you can. Willpower is in a way a form of self abuse, but one with an ultimately positive outcome - you just need the fortitude to keep saying "No, that's no good."

Willpower, I've found, is like a muscle. You can develop it with time and practice, but you might need to take baby steps to achieve the level of self-preservation you crave.

The key is to start by denying yourself something small. Let's say you eat three cookies at lunch every day. From now on, cut that number down to two. And every time you feel the urge to grab that third cookie, just keep telling yourself no. Remind yourself not only of the consequences of eating that extra cookie, but what good will come of NOT eating it. Then, once eating two cookies becomes a snap, move down to one. You'll be mowing down on cucumbers for a snack before you know it.

The same goes for exercise, which requires the utmost degree of willpower. It's not easy to jog. I know, I'm struggling with it right now. But take it one step at a time - one day run down your street, next day take it a little bit further, and then just keep up the pace. Pretty soon you'll be running circles around your block before you break a sweat.

You can achieve virtually anything you want with a sufficient infusion of willpower. I find it works best if I view my goals as a challenge, or a kind of game: as I hate losing at games, I'll refuse to give in to the barriers my mind tries to put up. I suggest doing the same. It works especially well if you have some form of support at the start, like an opponent or rival to keep you motivated - there's nothing better for willpower than wanting to beat out friendly competition, though eventually you'll have to contend with your internal struggles alone if that rival ever disappears.

There are no barriers. You CAN do it. Willpower isn't a vindictive opponent looking to pound you down, it's a friend. It's the part of you that knows what's good for you. Listen to it and you'll persevere in all things.

Learn more about this author, Matt Bird.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about How to take advantage of your willpower?
We want to hear your view. Write now!