Tap into your willpower

Some people make it look so easy. They go to the gym three times a week and easily avoid eating foods that aren't good for them. Certain behaviours seem effortless for some people, yet others struggle with them. Are some people genetically blessed with more willpower than others?

The truth is that we all have the same amount of power to do anything that we would love to do. Every person chooses to use their willpower in different areas, depending on what is most important to them. The steps below will allow you to discover where you already have great "willpower," and teach you to tap into it in order to apply it to any area of your life.

1. Determine what you love to do, the areas where you already possess great "willpower."
We all have great willpower when we are doing things we love to do. The problem is that many of us are bogged down with all the things that we have to do and have never taken the time to discover what we truly love to do, the areas where willpower is not an issue. By determining the areas where you already possess great willpower, your self-esteem will improve and spill over into other areas of your life. The following questions will help you uncover the areas where you have strong willpower:

• What do you love to do?
• How do you like to spend your time and money?
• What do you like to talk about? Read about?
• If I gave you $2,000 and a free afternoon, how would you ideally spend it?

There are no right or wrong answers. Perhaps Tom answered these questions by stating that he would buy books with his $2,000 and spend his free time reading. Jane may choose to buy sports gear with her $2,000 and spend the day hiking. Jane clearly loves to be active and is not someone who has a difficult time ensuring she gets enough exercise. However, she may not find the willpower Tom has to keep up with her latest novel, even though she thinks she should. Do you know why? At this point it isn't that important to her.

Need more inspiration? Read about 10 reasons to exercise now!

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