Who is the winner when your Willpower goes head-to-head with your Imagination?
Willpower, without it, you are left wafting in the breeze, victim of any and every whim that takes you.
Ahhhhh, where did that ‘whim’ come from?
Just popped out of thin air?
That ‘whim’ usually comes from your imagination, and your mind is a powerful projector, a personal ‘movie maker.’
What makes you want to bite into that donut even though you’ve vowed to lose those extra 10 pounds? Is it really a lack of willpower?
I think not.
I think that your imagination is to blame 🙂
The key here is to focus on using your imagination to support your willpower, instead of undermining it.
When the urges strike you, don’t just grit your teeth, clamp down on something nearby and refuse to let go. This method will end in failure more often than not.
Instead, focus on your image, the one you created of the new, better, healthier, wealthier (whichever is closest to your specific goal) and let that feed your willpower.
Tell yourself, “I see myself feeling, looking better, and this donut isn’t part of that plan.” Imagine what it will feel like to obtain that goal, what you will look like, what others will say about you, think about you, or what you will think about yourself when your new goal has been reached and you’ve scratched it off your list.
Ask yourself, after I give in to this urge, how will I feel? Is that how I want to feel? Will it truly be worth it?
Then, willpower and imagination will be working together to help you instead of being locked in a cage match, winner-take-all brawl that willpower is bound to lose.