Using Meditation to Strengthen Your Willpower

How is meditation related to willpower? In essence, meditation fosters mindfulness. Mindfulness enhances awareness, and awareness fortifies willpower. Meditation clears a path through the murky waters of our minds, allowing our conscious direction to flow smoothly.

Kelly McGonigal, PhD an expert on the science of willpower from Stanford University writes:

"When your mind is preoccupied, your impulses -

not your long-term goals - will guide your choices".

To those unfamiliar with it, meditation seems like a simple task. However, anyone who has attempted it understands that meditation is far from easy. Mastering the art of quieting your mind is often more challenging than it sounds.

Mark Montalban, co-founder of MindfulText, states, “It's challenging because you start to uncover what's hidden in your mind. Meditation is akin to exercising your mental muscles. Being conscious of your thoughts can be difficult, partly due to the thousands of thoughts you have daily.”

During meditation, the urge to stop and quit is great. Your brain tries to rationalize that sitting there is a waste of time or starts to wander. If you can resist and override the urges, you'll be exercising your brain and in turn, your willpower. The urges that cause you to want to procrastinate, overeat, react in frustration or anger are the same types of urges you must learn to overcome to meditate successfully.

The more consistent you are in your meditation practice, the more you come to understand about yourself, which can become a tremendous resource when trying to break yourself of bad habits.

How to build willpower through the practice of meditation:

1. Start with just 5 minutes per day. It’s quite simple. Just sit in a comfortable position. A firm, straight-back chair is a good option. Leaning back in a recliner can work well, too. Just be certain you can be comfortable enough to remain motionless, but not fall asleep. Sitting on the floor in the corner of the room is another popular option.

   ● Use a timer so you don’t have to peek at the clock.

2. Focus on your breath. Close your eyes. Inhale and exhale. Count each exhalation until you reach 10, and then start over. The whole point is to only focus on your breath. Feel the air passing in and out of you. Just keep your attention on the breath. Notice the breath, but don’t think about it.

   ● Be aware of your breath, but don’t have any internal dialog about it. Don’t judge it. Just notice it.

3. Your mind will wander. It’s highly unlikely you’ll even count to five before a thought intrudes on your meditation. It might be about your boss, the itch on your neck, or wondering if you need check your email or the laundry. That’s how poor your ability to focus is.

   ● When your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breath.

4. Notice what happens. Notice how your mind wanders very quickly. You’ll probably find that you can’t reach 10 breaths even once without an interfering thought. Also notice your self-talk. You’ll try to convince yourself that this meditation thing is a big waste of time.

   ● Just keep doing your best until the timer alerts you that the session is completed.
   

   ● When the urge to quit hits you, just relax and return to your breath. This is one of the most useful skills you can develop. You can use it anytime you have the urge to do something you know you shouldn’t, like eat a donut or call your ex late on Saturday night.

   
   

5. Try adding 5-10 minutes each week. Imagine what an hour is like. As your tolerance for sitting and focusing grows, keep adding time. Try to see if you can build up to a solid hour of continuous meditation.

   
   

6. Try to maintain the same feeling throughout the day. At the end of a meditation session, you feel pretty good. It’s the only break your brain gets each day. Try to maintain that feeling as long as possible. When you get stuck in traffic, or are annoyed by a coworker, focus on your breath.

You'll quickly discover that you can develop the ability to concentrate, despite surrounding distractions, through meditation. In fact, you don't need to meditate for 15 minutes to an hour daily to notice results (nor do you have to sit cross-legged and chant). Just 5 minutes of meditation for at least 60 days is all it takes.

Meditation @ 5 Minutes a Day x 60 days = More Mindfulness + Willpower

For inquiries, to schedule a complimentary consultation, or to gain insights on habit improvement, capacity enhancement, or MINDAGILITY performance, marketing, or wellbeing coaching, please email jenny@jennymakeithappen.com.