The most recent post was on how determination is largely made up of a strong WILL and a stronger WON'T.
On Monday, January 9, Wired.com published an article titled The Willpower Trick. It now turns out that carrying out a strategic allocation of attention is actually what we do in avoiding temptations. The human will is too weak to resist temptation outright.
Following are excerpts:
Human habits, [...]are stubborn things, which helps explain why 88 percent of all resolutions end in failure.
The reason our resolutions end in such dismal fashion returns us to the single most important fact about human willpower — it’s incredibly feeble.
A tired brain, preoccupied with its problems and run down by the world, is going to struggle to resist what it wants, even when what it wants isn’t what we need.
...people with higher levels of self-control had just as many desires, but they were less likely to feel that their desires were dangerous. Their desires also tended to be less intense, and thus required less inner strength to resist.
they are able to intelligently steer clear of situations that trigger problematic desires. They don’t resist temptation — they avoid it entirely.
Too often, we assume that willpower is about having strong moral fiber or gritting our teeth and staring down the treat. But that’s wrong — willpower is really about properly directing the spotlight of attention...
Should you occasionally stumble and fall short, just know that all is not lost, that you are still in repair and on the way there. And never give up. Ever!
All the best in overcoming temptations! Read more about: determination, temptations, willpower, Wired
