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Mindset, Willpower, and Resolutions
What a perfect time to be thinking about mindset and willpower. We are at the beginning of Spring, and at this particular time, people begin to clean out the old and move into the new, fulfilling some of those new years promises to themselves.
It’s pretty normal for people to NOT make one of these resolutions, hoping they will achieve more goals naturally. But, we ARE humans with high hopes, big dreams, and lofty aspirations without the proper amount of momentum behind them, never getting off the ground and sometimes just starting over.
It has a lot to do with mindset and willpower. But, what’s the difference, and better yet, which is more important?
The Low Down
Thinking that you’d like to improve in one area or another and mapping out goals or steps to get you there is an excellent way to achieve even the most difficult of tasks. Your mindset can be compared to the food you consume. While we all know that eating and hydrating are necessary to survive, the quality of the fuel you ingest has a significant impact on your performance. A diet rich in nutritious foods and water leads to more energy, improved mood, better cognitive abilities, and enhanced immunity.
Choosing to have a positive or growth-driven mindset is like putting leafy greens in your body. If you start off anything with a negative mindset you’ll be more likely to chip away at your willpower. So, feed your willpower the right kind of food. Think positively, reward yourself for your successes, and think of your failures as nothing more than a learning experience.
Even the language you use should be fuel for your willpower. Don’t put yourself down or dwell on things that you haven’t accomplished. Focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t, surround yourself with positive people that encourage you to be your best, and always keep your goals in mind.
Willpower usually gets the bad rap for everything. What even is willpower? It’s defined as the ability to control yourself. And, if you aren’t controlling yourself, then who is? The truth is a little more complicated than that.
Willpower is about SELF-control, discipline, emotional awareness, and mental focus. Physically, you can go to the gym or put down that doughnut. But, why don’t you? You haven’t been possessed, as you are in control. You just aren’t doing the things you promised yourself that you’d do, the things you committed to. The reason you committed to these things is most likely in order to reach some type of goal that will bring happiness or success.
The problem isn’t your lack of willpower. Willpower is a finite resource without the right fuel to keep it going. One of the most important pieces needed to fuel your willpower is to have the right mindset. And so, this is where positive thinking comes back. The fuel for the fire. The mindset for willpower.
Think positively, and get into a routine of rewarding yourself for hitting goal after goal.