Will Power and Self-Discipline

Everyone possesses some habits or addictions he wishes he could overcome, such as smoking, excessive eating, laziness, procrastination or lack of assertiveness. Developed will power and self-discipline bestow the inner strength to overcome any negative habit. They make a great difference in your life. They can make you a winner in whatever you do.

What are Will Power and Self Discipline?

Will power is the ability to control inner unnecessary and harmful impulses. It is the ability to overcome laziness and procrastination. It is the ability to arrive to a decision and follow it with perseverance until its successful accomplishment. It is the inner power that allows you to refuse to indulge in unnecessary, useless habits and grants you the strength to overcome inner resistances. It is one of the corner stones of success, spiritual and material.

The human being is full of inner unconscious, or partly conscious, impulses. People sometimes say or do things they later regret saying or doing. On many occasions people do not think before they talk or act.

Self-discipline is the companion of will power. They usually come together. Self discipline gives the stamina to persevere in whatever one does. It bestows the ability to withstand hardships and difficulties, whether physical, emotional or mental. It grants the ability to reject immediate satisfaction for something better.

By developing these powers it is possible to gradually become more and more aware of the inner subconscious impulses, and gain the ability to ignore them when they are not for our own good, without any effort. By developing will power and self-discipline we become powerful.

Will power and self-discipline help us to choose our behavior and reactions instead of being their slaves. Don't think that life will become dull and dry in this way. On the contrary, you will feel more powerful, in charge of yourself and your surrounding, and consequently much more happy and satisfied.

How many times have you felt too weak, lazy or shy to do something? You can gain inner strength and the ability to decide whether to act or react, or refuse to act or react in any situation. Believe me, it is not difficult to develop will power and self-discipline. If you are serious and are willing to experiment, you will certainly succeed.

At the end of this article you will find some exercises and techniques to develop these abilities. You can perform these exercises anywhere, and at any time. Go slowly and gradually and your powers will increase. The desire and ambition to practice these exercise will develop and strengthen your self-discipline

There is a misconception in the public mind regarding will power. It is erroneously thought to be something strenuous and difficult, and that one has to exert and tense the body and mind when expressing it. It is a completely wrong concept. This is one of the reasons why people avoid using it, though they are conscious of its benefits. They acknowledge the fact that the employment of will power in their life and affairs will greatly help them, and that they need to strengthen it, yet they do nothing about it.

Will power gets stronger by holding back and not allowing the expression of unimportant, unnecessary and unhealthy thoughts, feelings, actions and reactions. If this saved energy is not allowed expression, it is stored inside you like a battery, and it becomes available at the time of need. By practicing the exercises you develop your powers the same way as someone who engages in bodybuilding builds his muscles. When you exercise your will power you strengthen your self-discipline and gain inner strength. The more you exercise, the stronger you become.

Developing Will Power and Self Discipline

One way to develop and improve this ability is to practice doing disagreeable things in your daily life. Your mind and feelings may oppose this action, nevertheless, do it. By doing something you do not like or are too lazy to do, you overcome your subconscious resistances, train your inner powers and gain strength. Muscles get stronger by resisting the power of the barbells. Inner strength is attained by overcoming inner resistance.

Here are some exercises:

- You are sitting in a bus or train and an old man or woman, or a pregnant lady walks in. Stand up and give up your seat even if you prefer to stay seated. Do this not just because it is polite, but because you are doing something that you are reluctant to do. In this way you are overcoming the resistance of your body, mind and feelings.

- There are dishes in the sink that need washing, and you postpone washing them for latter. Get up and wash them now. Do not let your laziness overcome you. When you know that in this way you are developing your will power, and if you are convinced of the importance of will power in your life, it will be easier for you to do whatever you have to do.

- You come home tired from work and sit in front of the T.V. because you feel too lazy and tired to go and wash yourself. Do not obey the desire to just sit, but go and have a shower