Jan 31, 2013

Play Offense Instead of Defense

The annual Superbowl (championship game of the National Football League) is approaching fast, but don't worry: this will not be a post on American Football strategy or on what my team needs to do on Sunday night in order to win the title. Instead it's a summary of what I have learned from the reading of Willpower: Why Self-Control is the Secret to Success by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney. I have made a list of 15 things you should keep in mind and rules you should follow if you want to improve your willpower and self-control. If it's not all clear, post your questions in the comments section or go and read the book for yourself! ;-)

Jan 24, 2013

Receiving Help From Above

The famous English guitarist and singer-songwriter Eric Clapton was an alcoholic and drug addict. "Drinking was in my thoughts all the time," he writes in his autobiography. All the time... until, that is, he started praying. Here's how he describes the night he finally sank to his knees and started asking for help from above: "I had no notion who I thought I was talking to, I just knew that I had come to the end of my tether. I had nothing left to fight with. Then I remembered what I had heard about surrender, something I thought I could never do, my pride just wouldn't allow it, but I knew that on my own I wasn't going to make it, so I asked for help, and, getting down on my knees, I surrendered." According to Clapton, he's never again even seriously considered taking another drink.

Where did all the willpower to quit (which he didn't have before) all of a sudden come from? Even Clapton can't really explain it, but he now prays for help every morning and night. Telling his story in their book Willpower, it becomes clear that Roy Baumeister and John Tierney aren't quite sure how to explain it either and since neither is particularly religious it's understandable that they have decided to focus on the social component of religious denominations in order to explain how faith benefits people looking for more self-control in their lives. Put simply, being alone sucks:

Jan 17, 2013

Getting Into The Habit...

Does the name Henry Morton Stanley ring a bell? I'm impressed if it does, since Mr. Stanley is not quite as well-known as the man he found in the African jungle in 1871 after months of searching: the great missionary Dr. David Livingstone. But according to the authors of Willpower. Why Self-Control is the Secret to Success, it is hard "to name any explorer in history who endured such sustained misery and terror so deep in the wilderness" as Henry Stanley. How did he do it?

Stanley was actually a journalist (not a scientist or explorer primarily) and definitely didn't get his willpower from his upbringing: Born to an unmarried eighteen-year-old woman who abandoned him to her father, he never knew his own father and ended up in a workhouse by the time he was six years old. But for some reason he saw the benefits of having self-control early on and worked on improving his own continually. So by the time he went on his first expeditions to the interior of Africa, he was well prepared - mentally probably even more so than physically.

Jan 10, 2013

Taking A Good, Hard Look At Yourself

It's one of our most important traits as human beings. Most animals don't have it, so it's one of several things that sets us apart from them. And as it turns out, it's a key factor when it comes to exercising willpower: self-awareness.

As humans, we start developing self-awareness at an early stage, usually being able to pass the "mirror test" by our second birthday: the forehead of the baby is dabbed with a spot of odorless dye and the child is set before a mirror. Most animals reach for the mirror in order to touch the spot, but even as babies we are capable of realizing that the spot is on our own body and reach up to touch our own forehead.


Jan 2, 2013

On Making Plans And Decisions

So, what's the plan?

Maybe you've been asked this question before. Usually in situations where some guidance is needed as to what the next step should be. What now? Where do we go from here? What do you think we should do? It's always good to have a plan. It's not a bad idea to make a plan. Know where you're going and what you're trying to achieve. That's why Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney stress this important point in their book Willpower: "The first step in self-control is to set a clear goal." (p. 62) And in order to reach that goal you need a plan. Just make sure it allows for some flexibility, which is why you should probably avoid making daily plans: