How to say no to almost anything
Everyone wishes they had the willpower to say no to certain things, but yes to certain other things. It seems we all have an inner battle between our two selves when it comes to resisting temptation to try and create a good habits.
The folks at Epipheo spoke to Kelly McGonigal, author of The Willpower Instinct, about this inner conflict and how we can better tackle temptation. As she explains in the quirky video above, “Many people think of willpower as the ability to resist temptation, but will power is actually three powers: I will power, I won’t power and I want power.”
You see we have all have our conflicting “selves” – think your impulsive self vs. your wise self – that we need to reconcile before we can truly enact change.
McGonigal explains: “I won’t power is what we typically think of willpower – the ability to resist temptation. I will power – that’s the ability to remember you want the consequences of doing this difficult thing. The third power, I want power, is the ability to walk around the world with a clear memory of what it is you care about most. So when you’re deciding what to eat for lunch, it’s not an automatic choice but actually in that moment you think about your desire for health. So actually what willpower does, it allows you to put your energy and attention on exactly what it is you want and what you care about.”
Video source: Epipheo
Related links:
Simple exercises to strengthen your willpower
6 expert tips for letting go of guilt
The science behind optimists vs pessimists