Part 1: Willpower
"Free will and determinism are like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you is determinism. The way you play your hand is free will." - Norman Cousins
In this discussion, I want to break down the innate forces that make up the three musketeers of high performance. Here is the formula we will be discussing in the next few blog posts:
Willpower + Mind Control + Performance Control = High Performance
What exactly is willpower? Is it possible to control this force? Simply said willpower is THE force that drives humans beings toward a desired outcome. It is as real as the moon we see at night, but willpower is a wild horse that must be tamed and mastered. Some have more willpower than others, but why? Just as electricity and oil became fuel sources to advance our lives, willpower can have the same impact.
Psychologists began looking at willpower at the beginning of the 19th century to see if it correlated to positive life outcomes. Does a person with more willpower have a step up on someone with less willpower? Through many experiments and tests, scientist pointed to two main factors (out of many) that can lead people to a happy and meaningful life. The two factors were intelligence and willpower. Unfortunately, intelligence is a factor that most people don't have much control over. Our biological makeup (genes) are all tied in with our parents and their parents and so on. It is not a coincidence that offspring excel in the same areas as the parents. Yes there are ways to improve on weak areas, but as most studies are showing it's better to work on your strengths than to try to improve the weaknesses. Social factors do play a part in intelligence, but at the basic level a person is limited do to their genes. With that thought in mind lets move on to the factor that we have a lot of "say" on.
Willpower is the engine behind our thoughts, emotions, impulses, and performance(decisions/actions). In layman terms willpower is self-control. There is a lot more to it, but having control of thoughts, emotions, impulses and wants equates to higher levels of self-control which in turn equates to a higher level of performance. I'm not talking about just success here because success has a different definition for every person. Performance is the measuring stick when it comes to personal success. Write this down people:
Willpower + Mind Control + Performance Control = High Performance
Just like poker, life rewards those that minimize screw-ups and maximize positive decisions and performance. Positive decisions create positive habits which become the equation to positive outcomes. Anytime we stray from a desired goal, willpower gives us a jolt to set us straight. Cultivating conscious willpower is the first step to living through the GFY Method. Without the willpower to get through ups and downs of tasks, goals, and life's impulses a person will not achieve a high level of performance.
We'll look at the second pillar of a high achiever, Mind Control, in the next post.
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