Sometimes, there comes a moment (hopefully not often) in our lives when we seem to lose all hope and strength. What can protect us from this? We need to be aware of how to boost our will and motivation to shield ourselves from the potential impending pit of despair.
What is Willpower?
Willpower is the motivation to exercise will. When you have strong willpower, you can make smart decisions despite the various negative factors you experience. On the other hand, a person with little willpower will be more doubtful of himself and give up easily.
To achieve what you want requires willpower to the extent of doing things beyond your usual routine. To make your goals successful, you need to know first what you want. Determining what you want to achieve will make you ready even in front of the most extreme difficulties.
What is Determination?
Determination refers to that firm intention to achieve goals. It is a part of life to experience disappointments and frustrations sometimes. If you’re a determined person, you will strive to work and do your best to succeed.
For instance, you want to dance, so you keep practicing and practicing until you improve your skills. No one starts with nothing. There’s a starting point. Trials and obstacles may make the journey heavy and challenging, but if you have the determination to succeed, everything is possible.
Determination is that ability that urges us to keep going even if there are difficulties ahead. You are determined to continue to set goals every time you fail or if you still want to improve yourself. Three factors compose determination: belief in yourself, patience, and giving your best in all that you do.
Ways to Boost Your Willpower and Determination
Here are some ways to improve and boost your willpower and determination and succeed in life:
#1 Decide to be determined
A decision to be determined is where you should start. That decision gives you a direction. It leads you to where you should be moving, even if there are challenges along the way. When you decide, this should be done with conviction, both in quiet and hard times.
#2 Keep yourself motivated to stick to your plan
A study published by the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology mentioned that using affirmations can help you build your willpower. Self-affirmation will help develop your self-control, which is a critical factor to consider when it comes to staying determined.
You need to stick to your plan because the more things and distractions you have in life, the harder it is for you to execute those plans. Keep yourself focused on your goals, targets, and routines.
#3 Learn how to handle your stress
One of the ways to boost your willpower is to manage and control weight better. A lot of studies have revealed that when we are stressed, negative emotions become more profound.
Thus, we became less productive because we can’t perform effectively. Other areas in our life become affected, such as in work, relationships, and even in your personal life. To solve that, you need to increase the source of your willpower, and of course, reduce or prevent stress
#4 Find out your ‘why.’
Your willpower is fuelled with various emotions. This should be your motivation to pursue your goals. Keep that motivation burning. For that to happen, you should have a strong ‘why’ or why you are making such efforts. Make it strong, and have in yourself the conviction. You will then find yourself feeling it easier to learn what to do next.
#5 Don’t be afraid
Fear is a powerful emotion. It can kill our determination to persevere and aim for success. When you let your anxiety interfere on your journey, you will have lower self-esteem, thus, generating lower productive results. Be brave to face your worries; only in that way can you be more determined and more reliable.
#6 Value your health
Without proper nutrition, we cannot perform well in our daily activities. How can we make the right decisions if we are sick or not feeling well? We must consume a balanced diet and consider other ways how we can be fit and healthy. Eating can help release happy hormones; however, do not choose unhealthy foods that may affect your total well-being.
You should also get enough sleep to promote better focus and concentration. A lack of sleep can affect your job, relationships, and stress levels. Stress can cause irritability, energy depletion, confusion, and sickness.
As previously mentioned, when we are not feeling well, our willpower can be affected. That’s why we should get enough hours of sleep – 8 hours every night. A nap during the day can also help us feel better.
Don’t forget that exercise is also another vital factor in your health. Doing exercises regularly can help increase your determination, especially if you have those fitness goals.
#7 Take some breaks to keep your willpower
Willpower and determination are hard work. However, you should also take some breaks to avoid burnout and overworking. Schedule time of breaks if you want to be excellent. This is a way to maintain your willpower because anything that is too much can produce adverse effects.
#8 Visualize yourself as being determined
Our mind is so powerful that we can visualize something as if it is real. When we imagine ourselves that we are committed, we will push ourselves to do better and unleash the better versions of ourselves. You will have that determination to do the same way how you imagined yourself becoming successful.
Visualization is a powerful technique, and it can help reprogram the brain to think and “see” what we want. Vision boards, for example, are great tools to help you achieve your goals. When you get to see your goals in front of you, it is a lot easier to manifest them into the physical world.
#9 Create positive habits
When we lose our motivation because of stress and failures, we choose to go back to the negative patterns we have previously had in our lives. It is crucial to keep the right habits and be motivated to stick to them. Creating good habits has more to do with breaking bad ones, and the hardest to break are the ones that give us some sort of pleasure.
Take the time to pinpoint the bad habits that seem to get in the way of your personal growth and tackle those first. But remember to be kind to yourself and don’t expect things to change overnight. Make small changes every day that you can keep, and in time, they will become better habits.
#10 Keep practicing
As the famous saying goes, “practice makes perfect.” We continuously improve our skills. So, we need to keep doing things to make our skills better. The more frequently we do a job, our confidence, willpower, and determination will become better. How you do things for success matters most.
Conclusion
Our life is not always as perfect as we imagined. There will be shortcomings, failures, and doubts. What’s important is that you feed your willpower and determination to overcome all those imperfections. All the mentioned tips will help you become more successful in all fields of your life.
Keep in mind that boosting your willpower and determination is a marathon and not a sprint, which means that you will have to consistently work with yourself to keep up with your good habits to feel successful and content with yourself.
