Lately I've been thinking that we've been taught "will power" in the wrong way such that will power has no scale and everyone always has will power in equal measures. What we don't have in common is the love or passion to do the things we wish to do or lack of it.
For example, let's say I love peanut butter with toast but each time I eat I feel guilty because I'd like to have a better body shape. But here's the thing, my love for peanut butter is higher than my desire for better body shape. That's why I'll always choose peanut butter over body shape.
I did not have low will power here because I'm doing what I wish. All I have is a personal preference or will powered by a certain love.
In this case I do not have to increase my will power to go against my love/craving for peanut butter but all I need to do is to make a list of benefits for a better body shape to increase my desire beyond my love for peanut butter.
Now, after explaining what is easier? Go with the traditional idea that will power is a muscle that we need to develop or understand that love and reason are the real drives for our actions and we actually do will what we love?
The traditional will power concept implies that we have to resist doing what we love for something more important and the measure of this resistance is our so called will power. But this perspective is so aggressive in that we have to do something against our original love and reason for peanut butter without having enough reasons, and love for body shape. A better way is to contemplate our alternative interest to find these reasons maybe we later discover that we do not or should not really care about body shape or the opposite and after piling enough reasons and desires for better body shape we will automatically stop eating peanut butter.
The trick is not to force yourself to do something other than what you're willing, the trick is to convince yourself to be willing to do it.
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