ICEBURG of SUCCESS: Part V

The final part of the series is about WILLPOWER. Remember Willpower is just the tip of the iceberg and the last resource that you need, to be able to accomplish your goals, however every piece is important and all play their part.

In this blog we will discuss the 10 Ways to Harness Willpower to Achieve Success

1. Seek support

Research has proven that having a support systems can help individuals achieve their objectives. It is advisable to surround yourself with people whom you can trust and you are sure they will be supportive of your objectives and are ready to help you succeed.

2. Fuel your willpower

Your brain runs on blood sugar or glucose. However, exerting willpower can leave brain cells devouring glucose at a faster pace. Research has suggested that feeding your brain might help restore your self-control. Taking regular meals can help maintain your blood sugar levels and help restore your willpower.

3. Reward yourself

When you achieve your goal, it is important to reward yourself for the great job that you’ve done. However, you must ensure the incentive does not conflict with the change you are attempting to make. For instance, taking a bowl of ice cream because you just lost five pounds of weight. Instead, spend time to engage in other entertaining but healthy activities.

“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar

4. Get enough sleep

Lack of enough sleep can affect how the body and mind uses energy, which impacts the ability to avoid temptations. If you don’t get enough sleep, your willpower is more likely to fail. On the other hand, one night of comfortable and adequate sleep can help increase self-control.

5. Monitor your behavior towards the end goal

You should make a realistic plan to meet the end objective and commit yourself ever single day to making progress towards that objective. For instance, if your objective is to reduce spending, monitor how you spend all your money.

6. Create a realistic plan

Research has suggested that having a realistic plan in place can help you resist temptations without necessarily having to draw on self-discipline.  You should decide earlier how you can react to situations that are likely to fail willpower. For instance, someone monitoring their alcohol intake might decide before a party, “If anyone gives me a drink, then I will request for a soda containing lime.” By having a plan ahead of time, you will be able to derive decisions in the moment without necessarily having to draw on willpower.

7. Avoid temptations

In order to maintain self-discipline, it is important to resist temptations. It can be helpful to avoid temptation at any cost.  You should ensure you keep temptations out of sight or at least out of the house. This specific “out of sight, out of mind” strategy works effectively for all types of scenarios. For instance, it is important to have a learning environment that is conducive for learning with minimal distractions.

8. Focus on one objective at a time

Psychologists have discovered that it is more effective to simply focus on a single, clear objective instead of taking a list of objectives at once. If you succeed at the first objective, you will free your willpower so that it can be dedicated to the next objective. It is advisable to work on one behavior at a time for instance setting 20 minutes aside each single day to study for upcoming tests.

9. Think you can

How you think about self-discipline itself is significant. In one study, researchers discovered that people who think self-discipline is a resource that is limited are more likely to have self-discipline issues compared to those who think of it as easily exhausted.

“Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” – Clint Eastwood

10. Identify sources of motivation

Are you trying to achieve your educational goals because someone else is pushing you? Or maybe you want to achieve those goals because of your own personal desires? Research has shown that people pleasures have a difficult time with self-discipline compared to individuals who are driven by their own desires and goals.