How is willpower trained?

More and more people have the dream of starting a business. In the process of starting a business, everyone will encounter many difficulties. Many people will choose to give up when faced with some difficulties, and a small number of people will insist on moving forward. Only such people have the possibility of successful entrepreneurship. The reason for such a difference is mainly due to the different strengths of willpower. Obviously, having strong willpower is the key to entrepreneurial success. So what are some ways to train willpower?

How is willpower trained?

1. Be proactive

Willpower, not to be confused with self-denial, is a tremendous force when applied toward positive goals.

A businessman on the East Coast of the United States knew he drank too much, yet he had a stressful job and a few glasses of wine before meals seemed to help him relax. But alcohol and tiring work made him drowsy, so he often fell into a deep sleep as soon as he finished drinking. One day, the manager realized that he was drinking to drown his sorrows and wasting his time. So he decided to stop drinking and spend more time with his children. It was not easy at the beginning, and he often thought of the fragrant wine, but he reminded himself that what he was doing now would gain rather than lose. Later facts proved that the more he cared about his family and children, the harder he worked.

Proactive willpower can help you overcome laziness and focus on the future. When you encounter obstacles, imagine the joy you will feel after overcoming them; actively engage in the specific practice of achieving your goals, and you will be able to persevere.

2. Make up your mind

James Pross, a psychology professor at the University of Rhode Island, divides the process of achieving a transformation into four steps:

Resistance – unwillingness to change;

Consider – weigh the pros and cons of the change;

Action – Develop the willpower to effect change;

Persistence – Use willpower to maintain the transformation.

Some people are "chronic decision makers" who know they should cut down on their drinking but are so indecisive that they fail to take action.

To help you stay determined, set a deadline for your goals. Maggie Collins, a teacher in California, was concerned about how to slim down her overweight body. Later, she was elected as the chairman of a civic organization and decided to lose 6 kilograms. To this end, she bought clothes two sizes smaller than her size to wear at the annual meeting three months later. Thanks to his persistence, Collins finally got what he wanted.

3. Clear goals

Professor Pross once studied a group of experimental subjects who planned to change their behavior starting from New Year's Day. The results showed that the most successful ones were those who had the most specific and clear goals. One of the men decided to be kind and treat his wife equally every day. Later, he actually did it. The other person just vaguely said that he would be nicer to his family, but within a few days he was back to his old ways and they were quarreling again.

Don't say empty things like, "I plan to do more physical exercise," or, "I plan to read more books." Instead, be specific and explicit - "Plan to walk for 45 minutes every morning" or "Plan to read for an hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings."

Weighing the pros and cons

If you are hesitant about physical exercise because you don't see any practical benefits, the desire alone will not make you willingly put on your running shoes.

Professor Pross advises people who come to him for consultation to draw four boxes on a piece of paper to fill in short-term and long-term losses and gains. If you plan to quit smoking, you can fill in the top two boxes with short-term losses: "I will feel very sad at first" and short-term gains: "I can save some money"; fill in the bottom two boxes with long-term gains: "My body will become healthier" and long-term losses: "It will promote a way to relieve stress and boredom." With such careful comparison, it becomes easier to muster the willpower to quit smoking.

5. Change

However, knowing the gains is not enough. The most fundamental motivation comes from the desire to change one's image and take control of one's own life. Reason can sometimes convince people, but only when emotional factors are aroused can they truly respond.

Tom smokes three packs of cigarettes every day. Despite his constant cough, he still ignores the doctor's advice and continues to smoke. "One day, I suddenly realized how stupid I was," he recalled. "Isn't this suicide? In order to survive, I have to quit smoking." Because quitting smoking made him feel better, Tom developed the willpower to change his bad habits.

6. Focus on Spirit

Touranvois, a famous French general in the 17th century, was known for leading his troops from above and always standing at the front of the troops in every battle. When others asked him about this, he said frankly: "I looked like a brave man in my actions, but I was extremely scared from beginning to end. I did not succumb to cowardice, but said to my body - 'Old friend, even though I am trembling, I have to move forward!'" As a result, he resolutely charged forward.

A large amount of evidence proves that acting as if you have strong willpower helps you become a person with strong willpower.

7. Temper your will

As early as 1915, psychologist Boyd Barrett proposed a set of methods for exercising willpower. This includes getting up and sitting down in a chair 30 times, emptying a box of matches and then putting them back into the box one by one. He believes that these exercises can strengthen willpower so that one can face more serious and difficult challenges in the future. Barrett's specific suggestions may seem a bit outdated, but his ideas are inspiring. For example, you can plan what you want to do on Sunday morning in advance and resolve not to have lunch until you finish it.

Bill Bradley from New Jersey is a star of the New York professional basketball team. In addition to participating in normal training, he comes to the court early every morning and practices his free throw shooting aim alone. "Hard work pays off", he finally became the person with the most shots and points in the team.