Albert Schweitzer said, “The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives.” You don’t want to be like the gravestone that read, “Died at 30…buried at 90.”
Willpower is like a muscle; the more you use it, the bigger it gets. In fact, Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit said, “As people strengthened their willpower muscles in one part of their lives—in the gym, or a money management program—that strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked. Once willpower became stronger, it touched everything.”
The more you use your willpower to change your outcome the more it will affect every area of your life for the good. But you will never develop strong willpower to overcome bad habits unless you start using some willpower. You don’t have to start big. Start small and work your way up.
A friend of mine told me about a guy he was counseling that was very discouraged because he couldn’t stop smoking cigarettes. Come to find out he went from 3 packs a day to just a few a cigarettes day, but he was still beating himself up for not being able to quit. 3 packs to 3 cigarettes a day is an amazing accomplishment that will eventually end up to no cigarettes at all.
If you wait to do something until you can do everything you won’t do anything! Progressive discipline is the key to sustainability. Get doing what you know you should do and eventually, you’ll start reaping the reward.
If you wait to do something until you can do everything you won’t do anything!
Leaders leverage the power of willpower and build their sustainability. Don’t grow weary in doing the right thing, because the right thing will build your influence and increase your productivity.
