Will power doesn't always work; planning is a must!

     Coming back after a holiday weekend of eratic schedules, rich foods and increased alcohol, do you feel like you just don’t have enough willpower when it comes to controlling what you eat?  If you want to rely on willpower alone to make good choices, you probably won’t be very successful.   For instance, you keep your favorite chips in the house but try not to eat them.   This takes tremendous mental energy and it will finally wear you down—you’ll eat the chips.  Your willpower will fail you and you will feel like a failure. 

     Willpower is the ability to carry out ones decisions, wishes or plans. Rather than expending energy on trying not to eat something, direct that energy in a more positive direction.  When you feel that you can’t eat a certain food, you think you are being deprived.  You may say, “I really shouldn’t eat this but . . .” or “I can’t have this.”   Stop feeling sorry for yourself; you do have a choice!  Say instead, “I’m choosing what’s best for me at this moment.” Keep  your WHY in the forefront of your mind.  Be aware that you’re going to give in to eating if it’s constantly staring you in the face.  Control your environment!  Get rid of temptations.  Even the strongest person can’t say “no” indefinitely, so try to keep the temptations few. 

     “Won’t Power” is as important as will power.  An ancient philosopher said “We must decide on what we will not do, and then  we are able to act with vigor in what we ought to do.”  Discipline means choices. Every time you say “yes” to a goal, you say “no” to something else.  You can’t have everything (lots of high fat foods and a fit and healthy body).  You have to decide what is priority for you.  Every prize has its price.   What choice are you making? 

     The best course here is to “have a plan.”  Plan out what your goals are and how you are going to reach them; practice these ideas every day, day after day after day.  They will soon become second nature to you.  Training yourself to be more disciplined takes practice.  Just like training your muscles to be more fit, you have to use them daily.  Each day that you carry out your plan, you become more disciplined,  and your new discipline will become something strong and positive for you.  

     So with the holiday behind us and a few months of summer left, re-evaluate your goals. How do you want to improve your life?  Write those things down.  Now what will you do, every day, to get you there?   You make the choice. You make the plan.  You do the action.  You’ll see the rewards.