Nine ways to make you become strong

1. Make it a HabitrnThe absolute best thing you can do to ensure you have the willpower to persist in the face of challenges and temptations, is to simply conserve it. One way to do this by turning as much positive activity as possible into habitual behavior. I assume you don’t have to exert willpower to brush your teeth every day and that doing so has just become an automatic part of your daily routines. About 10 years ago I went on a very strict diet for about 1 year. I went cold turkey on a bunch of crap I had been stuffing myself with for decades. This took a lot of willpower at first, but after a few months on the diet it took absolutely no self-control to maintain. I simply got in the habit of refusing to eat certain foods. There was no decision involved. I didn’t have to continually debate whether I should or I shouldn’t eat something and I thereby preserved my willpower resources for other issues. Over the subsequent years, when I applied less strict standards, I found myself failing to eat properly much more frequently. This was especially true when my willpower was drained at the end of a stressful day. 2. Avoid TemptationsrnYou simply need to avoid putting yourself in situations that will constantly require you to exercise control of some tendency or urge. This may seem counter-intuitive, but the evidence of depletion is convincing. 3. Connect Your Actions to Deep ValuesrnValue-based decisions are easier to make. They require less deliberate control. You are creating rules for your behavior ahead of time. A deep commitment to the values that are thus represented, make the decisions to act or to refrain from acting much easier as the individual situations arise. 4. Plan For ProblemsrnWhen you are attacking a project, try to plan ahead for problems and challenges. By creating some black and white rules for how you will act under certain circumstances, you can reduce the need for stressful deliberation. 5. Create a Keyword ReminderrnCreate a keyword or short phrase to remind yourself of whatever deep value you are trying satisfy and then use that keyword whenever you find yourself weakening. It will remind you and motivate you to continue. Furthermore you will create a habit of responding positively to the keyword. 6. Don’t Dilute Your Willpower ReservernIf you try to tackle too many projects or goals at once, you will likely not have enough willpower reserve to accomplish them all. 7. Control Your Thoughtsrn“Willpower is directly connected to mind control. Once you realize that you have the ability to eject negative thoughts from you mind and inject positive thoughts into the void, you have taken a gigantic step toward a lifetime of self-discipline as and when you need it.” – Jim Randel 8. Break Tasks Into Small ChunksrnIt takes a lot of willpower to create momentum and get started on projects for which there is a large gap between where you are now and where you need to get to. Instead, focus on the first tiny step that you can almost fall into. 9. Give Yourself Time to RecoverrnIf you have just finished a willpower sucking activity, give yourself a break before starting anything else that requires self-discipline.Since your willpower is strongest in the morning, it just makes sense to undertake those activities that require the most willpower as early in the day is possible. For example if you are starting an exercise program, try to develop the exercise habit in the morning when your willpower is at its strongest.