Willpower is Weak, but Intention is Strong

“Attention Energizes, Intention Transforms” -Deepak Chopra

I recently was listening to a video and came across an interesting idea. They were explaining how individuals who seem like they have an abundance of willpower may in fact have no more than you.

It has nothing to do with being blessed with greater discipline and more about how you set yourself up for success. They are just better at setting themselves up for success by not putting themselves in positions where willpower is required. All you need is a little pre-planning, self-awareness, and practice.

By having a strong intention you can minimize all the opportunities that may derail your progress before they ever present themselves.

Fewer decisions mean fewer mistakes.

You don’t need an abundance of willpower to succeed

Your best chance of staying on track without temptation starts in the grocery store. Are you someone who eats too many snacks throughout the day, or drinks more calories than you should by always having that 12-pack of soda around? How about a bag of chips or other sweets that are hard to stop once you start?

The trick to overcoming this is by not having them in eyesight, or within reach, and the most effective is to not even have them in the house.

You can’t snack throughout the day if you have nothing to snack on, and you won’t drink too much sugar water if it’s not in the fridge. If you set up your kitchen and home so that you don’t have a choice then you’ll never be putting yourself in a situation where you can make the wrong one.

The more decisions we make throughout the day the less energy we have to exert our self-control.

I once read a study about the number of prisoners who were granted parole based on the time of day their hearing was scheduled. The rate at which individuals were granted parole was about 30% greater after lunch than it was before.

Meaning judges were mentally tired and hungry from the first half of the day which made their decision-making abilities decrease, they were drained of willpower prior to lunch.

Keep this idea in mind and plan ahead, if you know you’re going to be tired and hungry after work it will be better to have something ready for you when you get home. Otherwise, your first instinct will be to pick up some fast food or go straight to the cabinet for a quick fix.

By planning ahead and setting up your environment you’ll never have to exercise willpower when you’re least likely to have it.

Have strategies for when and where you snack

I’m a big proponent that everything can be enjoyed in moderation. Lifestyle changes do not happen overnight, which means you can still have some of those guilty pleasures in a guilt-free way.

Here are some tactics that you can use when you want a snack but the desire to stay on track is greater. Find some of your own, those will be much more effective when you decide to do them.

• Only eat snacks or candy bars when you have to fill up your gas tank. You can walk and grab a protein or candy bar and add it to your purchase. It’s a win-win, you get to satisfy that craving and when it’s gone it’s gone.
• If you want some flavor in your drinks switch the soda for flavored water, no calories and they can even have some carbonation if you really need that soda fix.
• Say you’re having more of a craving for something that isn’t as quick and easy as a protein bar or candy bar. When you’re in the grocery store look for a quantity that you can eat all of it in a day but it won’t be too much to break the calorie bank. That way you can fully indulge without any major setbacks.
• Wait until after you have exercised you have something sweet or high in sugar if you must. Having some carbs post-workout has been shown in research to be very effective for both recovery and muscle building. While snacks are not the best source of nutrients it can be more effective for your goals to have them immediately after exercise.

Become mindful of your portion sizes

In the book Switch by Chip and Dan Heath, a study was used to describe the outcomes of mindless eating due to unconscious portion control. Two groups were measured by the amount of popcorn eaten within the same time frame.

As a control they used popcorn that was old and stale, the kind that doesn’t crunch anymore but instead kinda squeaks. The goal was to minimize overconsumption by making the popcorn as unappealing as possible.

The group that had the bigger bucket ate about 50% more popcorn than the smaller size. Even though the popcorn was not even appetizing. Thoughtless eating becomes much easier when we have an abundance of food right in front of us.

Use this idea to your advantage by easily switching out your kitchenware to make portion control easy.

Get smaller plates and bowls for cooking at home so that you automatically reduce the number of calories you’re consuming per sitting. If you’re not quite satisfied the extra time required for second helpings will give your stomach more time to signal your brain that it’s getting full.

If we eat too quickly we outpace our stomachs feedback telling us to stop.

If you take five shots of alcohol in a row you won’t feel drunk right away, but if you give it a little time you’ll feel the consequences and by then it’s too late. Plan ahead and give these slow-to-respond feedback mechanisms time to work.

Some foods are exceptions because higher quantities will not break the calorie bank, you’ll get more food with fewer calories. Think fruits, vegetables, and protein sources like chicken, beef, fish, etc.

Spend more time around the right people.

Think about the habits you’re trying to instill in yourself so that you can reach your ideal shape. Now think of all the people you are acquainted with, how many people do you know that have some or all of these traits;

• Exercises regularly for a minimum of 3-4 times a week
• Prepares their meals at home
• Chooses foods that are grown or were once living
• Drinks water throughout the day
• Tracks their steps or other health metrics daily or weekly

How many can you think of? If you don’t have any friends or acquaintances that meet some or all of these then it’s time to make some. The habits of those around us have a very real effect on us at a subconscious level.

This goes for positive traits as well as negative ones. Be aware of the proximity effect and use it to your advantage. Being surrounded by people who have a lot of energy and motivation is inspiring.

That’s why someone will pay a lot of money to listen to a motivational speaker, they are putting themselves in their orbit. It can be hard to become friends with very successful people if we are not YET successful.

The beauty of the internet is we can now connect with these kinds of people if we don’t have any in our lives. Spend more time watching videos that teach and inspire you to achieve what you want.

Follow more accounts on social media that will provide you with daily reminders to keep your intention strong.

The longer you work towards your goals and stay disciplined you will eventually gain success and find these individuals in your daily life naturally.

You will begin to attract opportunities that were not available to you before. It comes as a byproduct of all the work you are putting into yourself and your goals.

Summary of main points

1. Creating more willpower for yourself can be achieved by not putting yourself in positions to use it.
2. Give yourself specific times where you can have a snack or sweets guilt free. This will satisfy your cravings while also maintaining your daily calorie goals.
3. Change your plates, and bowls for smaller sizes. You will automatically reduce the amount of food you eat per meal.
4. Slowing down how quickly you eat will give your stomach the time it needs to tell you that you’re full without excessive calories.
5. Hang out with people who have the habits and characteristics you’re trying to build in yourself. If there are none in your social circle find them online.

Call to action

• Next time you go to the grocery store only buy the things that will help you reach your goals. The foods that will be most likely to derail your progress have no power over you if they are not in the house. Set up your environment to make as few decisions as possible, that way you don’t have to use any willpower at all. This would also be a good time to get some smaller kitchenware to make portion control easy.