The psychology of the will tells us that nothing is impossible when determination is indomitable, besides, it points out that we are able to train our brain to make better decisions, personal values that do not come from the factory, but develop over time, gradually. to raise awareness of their own limitations and also of their abilities.
It may suddenly be surprising that psychology has an area dedicated exclusively to will, in fact, it is still part of this broad category that is the field of motivation, and where, as we already know, there is no shortage of trained therapists and “trainers” specialized in teaching tools to learn how to work a little better for our vital goals.
“We keep doing things because they’re hard, are they hard because we don’t dare do them?Seneca?
However, we could say, without error, that this area of study began to consolidate in 2011 following a survey conducted by the APA (American Psychological Associantion), which aimed to assess the stress levels of the American population, as well as the factors that determined it the most. The results showed something meaningful.
More than half of respondents said they were well aware that their lifestyle was unhealthy, and they knew that stress, such as anxiety, was their worst enemy, despite this, they stated that they did not have the will to initiate change, did not feel encouraged or have adequate strategies to improve their situation
Why would you do that, why do we sometimes put so much off?Why are there a lack of the urge to exercise, quit smoking or muster enough courage and courage to fight for a dream or goal that has always accompanied us?The psychology of the will gives us the answers.
Sometimes we have misconceptions about the different areas of human behavior, and we may even see each other in the next situation, there are times when we completely lack willpower, as if we were in a dark room not knowing what to do. , how to react and feel absolute helplessness. In the face of this state, there is no shortage of people who criticize us for our apparent weakness and our null and void capacity for reaction.
What the psychology of the will shows us very clearly is that this dimension is not genetic, no one comes with an installed program that is activated when necessary, in addition, this internal energy is usually very sensitive to a person’s mood, the surrounding context and education. No one taught us strategies to overcome fear, indecision, work self-control, or personal determination.
Therefore, it is important to first define what we mean by will
“Courage is resistance and control of fear, but never its absence. “Mark Twain?
According to the APA (American Psychology Association), will is a conscious regulation of the “I”, with which one seeks a purpose recognizing that he is worthy of that goal.
Finally, it is reiterated once again that all these psychological skills and resources can be trained, in fact, it is something that we must all do, never forgetting the importance of transmitting this type of motivational strategy to young people to guide them towards goals from an early age.
While it is true that “wanting is power”, it is worth saying that there are always small nuances to consider, so you could say that “wanting is knowing what resources I need to put into practice to achieve what I want and what I can achieve by being completely realistic. “
One of the most interesting works on willpower is that done by health psychologist Kelly McGonigal. In your book? The will instinct? How self-control works, it teaches us valuable strategies that can help and are essentially reduced to three principles.
This is undoubtedly one of the phrases that most often appears in our minds when we set ourselves a goal, in reality this negative and limiting discourse is the first one that we must control, win and transform.
One way to do this is to say, “I’ll be able to create my own power. “
We all have magnificent virtues, skills, and skills that we must recognize, appreciate, and value, yet sometimes, when we are in certain contexts or surrounded by certain people, we tend to forget or minimize those values.
It’s time to remember it, put aside bad external or internal influences that affect our self-esteem and maximize who we are and what we are worth.
The last principle is simple, useful and practical. Based on the practice of simple verbalizations in our daily lives, some examples are:
As we see, the psychology of willpower is really important, useful and decisive for our lives, we will learn to work on it. Let us be aware of our internal resources and that we certainly deserve to fully realize each of our dreams.