Minute With Mallon: Harness Your Willpower
Welcome to Minute with Mallon!
Something I Taught:
For years now, I've helped people create personal and professional habits which allow them to live fuller, happier lives. Over the next two newsletters I'd like to share with you a few concepts which will help you understand how to do this for yourself.
When you think about the word Willpower, what comes to mind? Many people don't like the word and share with me that they feel lacking in it. This might be because the word has been used judgmentally towards them in the past, giving them a range of negative associations with it. So let’s define the word specifically.
Willpower is control of one's actions, or self-control.
Now, when you think about a Ritual, what's that? In broad terms, a ritual is any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.
Good examples of rituals are morning or exercise routines, holiday traditions, spiritual practices, etc.
How about a Habit? A habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.
Good examples of common habits are running, practicing yoga, creating daily to-do lists, brushing your teeth, tracking monthly expenses, reading books, meditation or deep breathing practices.
Now that we’ve defined our terms, here are some facts about willpower and how it can have you have a better life:
Willpower is finite. You only have so much of it each day.
Willpower becomes fatigued from overuse. The more you use it, the less you have as the day goes on.
Willpower fades during the day. So you have more of it in the morning than you do in the afternoons or evenings.
So the KEY is to use Willpower to start a ritual. Once you've done the ritual long enough, it becomes a habit.
And HABITS DON'T USE WILLPOWER!!!
Leaving you free to put your willpower towards other things!
Highly successful people understand this and use it to their advantage. Through repetition, they create habits that serve them well. Most people don't maintain a routine long enough for it to become habitual, that's the problem!
Now that you've gained insights into willpower, rituals, and habits, consider this: What's one positive habit you’d like to adopt to enhance your life?
Something to Ponder:
As I said in a previous newsletter:
We don't create our futures, we create our habits, and our habits create our futures.
Something I Learned:
This week I was working with a client I’ve been working with since January 2018. I can tell you two things: He's one of the most gifted and intelligent men I know, and he thinks big.
During our conversation, I happened to ask him what his mission was. That's not a question I ask many people as quite frankly, most people have never thought that far out.
Immediately he said,
"Restore the nobility of work."
What??? 🤔
I dug deeper and he told me that he feels that more and more people are not understanding what work actually does for them, how it helps them grow into the people they were created to be. Work has so many benefits beyond just the money it brings in. It gives opportunities for personal growth, purpose, fulfillment, and helps people enjoy contributing to society.
The reason I'm putting this in here is to challenge you: What is your mission? Can you state it as clearly and as simply as my friend stated it?
Take a few minutes and think it out. Write it down. This could be one of the most important things you do in this life.
Let your mission be meaningful, specific; not a wandering generality.
Something I Saw:
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Hope you have an incredible week and that you begin working on that new or existing habit to make it permanent!
Robert
