How to develop willpower? Willpower test. Willpower: the psychology of personality development

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

Surely each of us would like to develop a useful habit, for example, wake up early in the morning, do exercises, take a morning contrast shower, eat he althy fruits as much as possible … A familiar situation, isn't it? Below we will consider such concepts as willpower, the psychology of personality development and motivation. These concepts, although close, are not identical.

Willpower Test

We bring to your attention a simple mini-test for willpower. Read the questions and mentally answer them

1. Do you immediately do the tedious work?

2. Can you easily do what you don't like?

3. Can you calm emotions in case of conflict and figure out who is right and who is wrong?

4. Can you diet for a long time?

5. Can you get up early if you decide?

6. Do you respond immediately to messages on social media?

7. Will you take the nasty medicine you've been prescribed?

8. Do you always keep your word?

9. You make it easyfor a trip?

10. Do you have a daily routine?

For each positive answer, give yourself 1 point. If you scored more than 5 points, then you have willpower. If not, then draw conclusions.

How to develop willpower?

To do this is not an easy task, but the result will significantly change life for the better, since willpower and character are very important things, one might say, irreplaceable. The main thing is to ask this question in a timely manner. Willpower, psychology of personality development - these words are very fashionable now, but for most people they are empty.

When taking any action, a person subconsciously evaluates it according to two criteria:

• Is it worth it?
• Is it feasible to complete it?

As for the first one, it's motivation. If circumstances can benefit us, of course, we will willingly take action. The second is beliefs, fortitude, i.e. whether a person can perform certain actions - whether he has enough perseverance, skills and abilities.

Why can't you rely on just one motivation?

Today you can find a lot of psychological literature, where advice and recommendations are given on how to increase your motivation. However, in practice, such advice is of little use, they do not answer the question of where to get willpower. Motivation is not a personal characteristic of a person. This is, first of all, the pleasure derived from the quality of work done or aerobatic results.

So what happens. Do you want to change your lifethe best, we decided to do exercises every day, you understand that it is useful, you get motivation.

You do exercises every morning, learn new exercises with interest, discuss them with your comrades. Your motivation is growing.

After a couple of days, the enthusiasm burns out. Exercises that were recently new become boring, and gradually you switch to other things. Motivation is fading away. As a result, you completely stop doing daily exercises. You understand that this is useful and necessary for the benefit of your he alth.

Inspiration alone is not enough for any business. Many factors influence intrinsic motivation. If you are hungry or tired, respectively, and motivation will be reduced. Building willpower is no easy task. But if you are rested and full of energy, motivation increases.

How to develop willpower. Four strategies. The first is a promise

Imagine that you had a conversation with friends, colleagues, enemies, and you decided to lose those extra 10 kilograms within 3 months and make every effort to achieve the desired result. If you doubt yourself and do not want loud statements, tell your relatives and close friends about your intentions. Follow the promise with action. This is one of the options on how to train willpower.

People who are interested in your initiative will certainly be interested in your achievements, cheer you up, wish you good luck. However, along the way you will meetenemies who will only expect you to fail.

As a result, you will not justify the hopes of the first and give only a reason for the enemies to spread rot and pour mud on themselves. Ridiculous situation, isn't it? It is these actions that are designed for your self-preservation instinct - not wanting to be humiliated will reinforce your motivation for better achievements. The folk wisdom immediately comes to mind - the "strategy of death": either you take on obligations and win, or you are defeated - you are destroyed.

Good habits

The first strategy seems quite extreme. But in reality it will give a result. It will help to develop efforts to move in the necessary direction. Not bad it will complement the strategy number 2.

As a rule, any goal can be achieved if you do not stop and go to it regularly. If you want to test your willpower, force yourself to regularly do things that will benefit you in the future. You can develop positive habits - morning exercises, jogging.

I want to tell you a little story. The hero and explorer of Africa, Henry Morton Stanley, made it a rule to shave every day, regardless of where he is - on vacation, in a comfortable environment, in the jungle, in a state of fatigue or hunger. Daily shaving was not his fundamentally important habit, but it allowed him to maintain a "human appearance", youth and authority in front of his companions. This motivated him, reminded him that the main task is notsurvival, but a way to prove that a person must be in perfect shape. This is a kind of challenge to hostile nature, the desire to prove that even in a difficult situation a person must find the willpower to remain a person.

If you systematically perform the same actions, they will definitely become a habit, and you will not have to force yourself. If you regularly stimulate yourself to take action, you will notice that difficulties are overcome more easily.

Forced start

A good way to increase motivation is to prioritize tasks that you want to do but don't want to do. Imagine that you have a task ahead of you - to do a difficult project at work or school, you have to meet a rude and unpleasant person, in the end wash a pile of dirty dishes or clean up the pantry. As a rule, such activities bring us little pleasure. However, they are of interest to us from a different perspective. What exactly can strengthen willpower in this situation?

If the matter is difficult and interesting for us, of course, we are happy to start its implementation. In this case, we are driven by interest, it is he who prompts us to action. If the case is not of interest to us, then, accordingly, strong-willed efforts should be made. The question is asked: "Then why wait until the will power is "turned on" under adverse conditions, if everything can be corrected in advance?" Initially, it will be a burden to do things that mean little to us, but this is the main criterion by which one can judgeweak will.

Sports

A great way to develop your willpower is to go in for sports. Sports do not just mean certain workouts, but also success. Remember the long-forgotten slogan: “Faster! Above! Stronger! . Sport is not only a competition with your opponent, it is also a test of your will, aspirations. It doesn't matter what kind it is: football, tennis, weightlifting or athletics - in any case, you make an installation for yourself aimed at achieving a positive result, and strive to achieve them by all means. However, success can be hampered by fatigue, loss of interest, and failure. The result can be achieved only by making every effort, including willpower! But imagine what a long-awaited victory will be! It is better to overcome failures and disappointments in competitions than in reality - by trial and error.

Don't delay

Pay attention to yourself, go in for sports! Start with morning runs, they will allow you to record your achievements and set new goals! And finally: before you make a promise to yourself, think about the question of whether this work is feasible for you. Once having said to yourself: “I can”, - be sincere to yourself, stick to your promise without breaking your word!

How to develop willpower? Don't put it off until later - take action now!As a rule, we always postpone the fight against our bad habits - quit smoking, eat less, play sports for later, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow. We often say to ourselves:"I'll start from tomorrow, etc." And every day we deceive ourselves. Many people are concerned about the question of how to develop willpower in themselves. Let's take a look at some tips that will actually help you get through this difficult task.

Do what you wish

No matter how strange this attitude may seem, but in reality it can help overcome apathy and develop strong-willed qualities. Remember the less desirable things - clean the house, wash the dishes, take out the trash. Do not delay until tomorrow, otherwise tomorrow's worries will double. Learn to solve problems in small ways, and after a few months you will notice positive results.

Running will allow you to keep yourself not only in good physical shape and will have a positive effect on your he alth, well-being, and besides, it will be a wonderful answer to the question of how to train willpower. To run, you need to wake up early, get ready, go to the park or the stadium, run about 8 kilometers, and this, believe me, is worth the effort of will. Whatever sidelong glances and mocking smiles of passers-by you meet in your address, do not pay attention. They understand what a great job you are doing.

Think about self-development

Any hobbies: needlework, learning foreign languages, astrology - will only help strengthen willpower. People who have succeeded in any business have made a lot of strong-willed efforts. Why don't you start doing something you love too?Can't you? Find someone who will give yousupport.

Self-organization is not an easy task, but a person's willpower is developed precisely with its help. If you can't coordinate your activities, force yourself to jog in the morning, try going to the gym or fitness center. Classes will unite like-minded people, develop your special skills, and this is the first step to success! Find people with a strong will, communicate with them, ask for support, and you will have someone to look up to!

“Moscow was not built right away!” - surely each of us has heard the old Russian proverb. In fact, it speaks for itself. Do not exaggerate your capabilities, do not build grandiose plans right away. Failure to do so can shatter your self-confidence. Achieve your goals consciously and gradually. We hope that in the article we were able to answer the question of how to develop willpower.