Hi Friend,
Last time, we talked about the importance of gateway habits and explained how they affect everything in your life, including your training. To briefly recap: nothing happens in your life - good or bad (and this includes your weight lifting) - without the say-so of habits.
Weaving through our daily lives, these habits hem us in as they control and guide us.
And there's more: much like Jacob Marley's ghost, you are kept in cruel check by some habits as though they were chains.
Unaware that you are wearing them, these shackles become your daily companion as you drag them with you from task to task. Shakespeare wrote, "The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."
And you know what? The wordsmith was right.
Yet, you can throw them off, with the right know-how. These chains of habit haven't been forged in a dragon's breath like King Arthur's Excalibur. They are not unbreakable.
Like we said last time, all you need is willpower.
Wonders of Willpower
Yet, as wonderful as willpower is, it comes with certain limitations. Most importantly, willpower gets tired - as it works harder, fatigue sets in and any effectiveness weakens. So, the more willpower you use throughout the day, the less you have later on.
So what can you do?
Here are 7 heavy duty habits to help you utilise your willpower:
1. BABY STEPS. Change one habit at a time. With a limited supply of willpower, it's challenging enough to reach one goal, so take on only one goal at a time. For example, don't try going on a diet, stopping smoking, and hitting the gym more often. Just focus on one.
2. BABY, WRITE THIS DOWN. Be specific and write down what you want to tackle – the more specific, the better. For example, writing, "I will train at 7:00 PM each day for 30 minutes" is better than just thinking "I will exercise". Writing down what you want to accomplish is crucial, because being specific boosts the likelihood of success.
3. SOCIALISE IT. Seek out social support. Let others know you are working on a goal and try to work on the goal-getting together. By letting others know what you are doing, you pre-commit and have an improved chance of changing your ways.
4. 21 DAYS LATER. Research shows it takes three weeks to change a habit. Show some patience and give it the required time.
5. MIND CONTROL. Practice meditation. Just a few minutes each day can actually boost willpower by building up important grey matter in areas of the brain that regulate emotions and govern decision making. Do it often enough, and the benefits of visualisation are far reaching as they impact all areas of your life.
6. REWARD REGULARLY. Rewards are necessary to change and sustain habits. If you want your willpower to grow like your muscles, reward yourself regularly.
7. BE COOL WHEN YOU CRASH. Don't overreact when you mess up and crash and burn. For example, one reason dieters fail is a phenomenon known informally as the "what the hell effect." Once people lapse, they figure the diet is blown anyway, so they go on to finish the whole tray of cookies (and anything else they can lay their hands on), thereby doing far more damage than the original lapse. Instead, be cool when you crash and treat failure as a minor and temporary setback. Realise there will always be little defeats to deal with as you go on your way. Learn and grow from them, and you will return stronger.
To wrap up, I hope these ideas inspire you. And remember - if you decide to change a habit, follow the 7 heavy duty tips, and very soon the new and improved habit will become as automatic as your old bad ones.
Until next time,
Squat for Glory!
Lee
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