Do you sometimes have goals, but not enough drive and motivation to achieve them? Do you sometimes have plans, but not enough grit and perseverance to go through with them? Do you sometimes have dreams, but not enough guts and energy to make them reality? How can you get on your path and stick to it? Know that whenever you quit or even fail to start, you didn't want it badly enough. That's a simple truth. So it seems that all you can do is to fatalistically accept your state of will, whatever … [Read more...]
6 Ways How Alcohol Weakens Your Will
Caution: The following lines are a note to myself, not a judgment of others. 1. Alcohol weakens your will by impairing prefrontal functioning and thus self-control. 2. Alcohol weakens your will by dimming the focus on your goal and plan to achieve it. 3. Alcohol weakens your will by dulling the decision-making processes needed for leading groups and women. 4. Alcohol weakens your will by undermining opportunities to improve your social skills and core confidence. 5. Alcohol … [Read more...]
Pride Experience Vs. Pride Anticipation
A key point in my book Willpower Condensed is that true pride fuels willpower and motivates self-discipline. Importantly, we must consider two different mechanisms: Pride experience (being prideful, being praised), the emotional reward for having done something great, conditions our will to keep aiming at long-term goals and to stay in line with our core values. Pride anticipation (wanting to experience pride), the emotional fuel for a pride-conditioned will, motivates our will to stay … [Read more...]
Expectations, Mental Toughness, and My 72-Hour Fasting Challenge
In two hours, I'll have completed a 3-day water fast. This means that I haven't eaten, haven't put anything into my mouth except water and mouthwash, for 70 hours. And, as it turns out, I'm still feeling great. Having never done more than a 36-hour fast before in my life, I got worried, especially after, well, 36 hours: "I guess I shouldn't be training and lifting weights. And what if I break down later from fatigue at my physically demanding job? And if I make it through, won't I then waste … [Read more...]
How Moderation Gives Us Freedom
Moderation is freedom because it increases our behavioral flexibility. It broadens the range of actions we can take in a given situation. It allows us to change our behavior flexibly based on what we truly want to do. Moderation is freedom because it puts our Will in charge of our life. Think about it. A former alcohol addict who cannot allow himself to touch a drink ever again in his life may be perfectly abstinent. But he is not perfectly free. Not as free as someone who has never had … [Read more...]
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