8 Tips To Build More Will Power

Most of us set goals with the intent to change our lives in some form or fashion.  It may be to lose weight, get fit, earn more money, etc.  Whatever they are, most goals are usually grand gestures that require a dramatic change in our lives.  Actually achieving those goals is the trick, of course.  Most of the time, we fall off the wagon long before we actually hit our desired targets.  The key to success lies in finding ways to build more will power.  The “stick-to-itiveness” that keeps us on task when we get tempted to stray from our goals.

1. Define Your Goal. How many times have you said, “I want to lose weight,” or “Time to get serious about my health.”  While laudable goals, they’re not specific enough to be achievable in the long term.  Rather than describing a goal in vague terms, be very specific.  If you want to lose weight, how much weight do you want to lose?  Over what timeframe?  Take a look at my New Year’s Goals for some examples.
2. Be Realistic. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Don’t hamstring yourself by setting a goal to lose 20-pounds in one week.  Even if you could accomplish such a feat (doubtful), it wouldn’t be healthy.  Take a long, hard look at your goals and try to make them realistic.  Another way to approach this is to set two goals.  The first is a readily achievable goal, with a second being a “stretch goal.”
3. Measure Your Progress. You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been.  Once you’ve set your goals, take a measurement to baseline yourself.  If your goal is to run your first 5K, after getting your doctor’s clearance, go out and start walking.  Halfway through, measure your pulse rate and compare it to your resting rate.  If its weight loss, weigh in every morning before you even get your first cup of coffee.
4. Write It Down. A running tab of where you’re at toward your goal is a powerful reminder to keep you focused.  Not only should you measure and record daily, but post the results somewhere that you can’t miss it.  Maybe it becomes your computer screensaver, or gets taped to the mirror above your sink.  Wherever it is, make sure you have to look at it daily.
5. Make It Public. There’s nothing like peer pressure to help keep us on task toward pursuing our goals.  If you tell your friends and family that you’ve decided you’re going to try to run a half marathon, in the back of your mind, you know that if you don’t get through it, you’ll have to face them.  I can’t say how women are to one another, but a group of guys can be merciless with the harassment.  I watched my former gym partner get heckled because he’s been absent from the gym for the past three months.  Today he caved and went to the gym.
6. Get In A Group.  The power of a team effort allows you to “share the load.”  When someone else is depending on you, its harder to skip out.  Not only that, working in a group pushes you to make progress above and beyond what you can manage alone.
7. Forgive Yourself.  At some point, you’re going to take a step backward.  It’s inevitable that we’ll occasionally slip up.  Particularly when pursuing life-changing goals.  Unfortunately, when it happens, its easy to throw up our hands and walk away.  Don’t.  Instead, pick yourself up.  Dust yourself off.  Then get back on the bandwagon.
8. Have Fun! Life changing goals shouldn’t be all drudgery.  They will be hard.  They may be different from your norm.  Even if its hard, changing your lifestyle can be both fun and exciting.  Rather than looking back on what was, focus on what will be.

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