Why power is more powerful then Will power. Essentially what I want to talk about is Pain Vs Pleasure. Everything we do based on our natural instincts is a decision or action based around the pursuit of pleasure or the avoidance of pain. For example, you wake up in the morning and your alarm is going off, maybe you had a bad nights sleep, or whatever, you still get up, because the temporary pain is not more significant then the long term pleasure. Maybe you have a big day ahead of you, you're going to go to work and be productive and make money. You want to take care of your family. Get your kids up and help them get ready for their day. They mean more to you and you get some pleasure out of them vs. the temporary pain of your alarm clock.
Why Power (Pleasure)
You have to know your WHY behind what you are doing. Because WHY power is always going to be stronger and bigger then will power. The reason being is that you can always will your self to do something but if you don't have a reason for doing it that will power is useless. Your WHY is the reason and purpose behind your action. The Willpower is just a tool you can use to obtain the WHY, it will only help you to push through and achieve what you need to get done.
If you have a strong enough WHY (pleasure) you can most always overcome any obstacle (pain) By obstacles I mean temptations that will keep you from your goal. This can be a bad association with something from your past, it can be your own head telling you that you things like "Oh only one" or "Oh you worked out yesterday you don't need to work out today" But it is just those temporary pains that you have to go through to get the long term pleasure. Sometimes you have to be strong and say "no, I don't need one" or "I need to work out everyday"
So do you see now why it is so important to clearly define WHY you want to live a fitter healthier life? Your WHY power has to be stronger then your willpower. You have to want your WHY more then anything else. That is why it is also important that your WHY not be based on something or someone. Meaning you might be successful at losing weight or accomplishing some goal you have, that you did for another person or event. But once you've reached it the motivation that was based on that person or time is gone. Your WHY has to be based on YOUR desire to be worth the pain involved. The will power will come along when your WHY power is strong enough.
A good example of this is when I was over weight, all my life I listened to the words of others. "Jaylene don't get fat like me" (My mom)...."Babydoll, if you just lose some weight you will be everything I ever wanted" (my ex) Those words would prompt me to try and lose some weight. But my WHY was based on their desire for me to lose weight not mine. So I would employ my will power and temporarily lose the weight, but not keep it off because my WHY was not my own. When I really started searching for my WHY, and based my WHY on my own internal desires to be healthier and fitter my whole life changed
Will Power (pain)
Unfortunately for some reason, too many of us have forgotten (or have never been taught) that joy, happiness, health, fitness, loving relationships all stem from hard work, persistence and the occasional bit of physical, mental or emotional discomfort. Remember the aches of childhood growing pains? How about stress of cramming for finals your senior year of high school? What about the terror of your first job interview? Your first broken heart?
None of these were especially pleasant experiences, but you benefitted from all of them. You grew stronger, bigger, wiser and smarter. You learned grace under pressure. But despite these benefits, we've become a society that avoids discomfort like the plague. Ironically, avoiding suffering just causes many of us to suffer all the more. Obesity. Ignorance. Heart conditions. Diabetes. Depression.
Roll up your sleeves and get busy. Need a place to start? How about getting a little exercise every day and making a few healthier food choices? It won't be easy. You're gonna sweat. You're gonna ache. Your tummy's going to rumble. But your hard work will pay off quickly, inspiring you to apply the same work ethic to other aspects of your life. Soon, you'll discover that whatever you're working on -- be it your business plan or your body, your wellbeing or your love life -- will be richly rewarded with a little effort.
How to find YOUR WHY
Write down your reasons for wanting to be healthier. You have to find a way to understand what YOUR WHY power is. Write down things that you enjoy that might help you find your WHY. What do you have a passion for? What gives you pleasure, beyond food or some other person. What are some goals, you know the things in life you've always wanted to do but have held back on doing because you did not feel you could. Be sure to clearly have a WHY for each of your goals.
And remember.....Do not let the temporary pain of giving up those bad habits rob you from finding the long term pleasure of feeling good about yourself.
There is a law in psychology that if you form a picture in your mind of what you would like to be, and you keep and you hold that picture there long enough, you will soon become exactly as you have been thinking. ~William James~
This is a picture that De'Anna had me draw representing my inner "Fit Chick" The outside body represents how I saw myself then and the thinner body was my inner "Fit Chick" that I held hostage for my entire life....I did this exercise and became that inner fit chick.
Do this exercise and ask yourself?
1. Why am I like this? (overweight)
2. What happens when I shed the weight?
3. What happens if I dont?
Dont Diet, Live it!!
Jaylene
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