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How the Myth of “Limited Willpower” Is Hurting Your Productivity

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The Way You Think About Willpower is Hurting You. The idea of ego-depletion arose from a 1990 study done by psychologist Roy Braumeister at Case Western Reserve University. This study, which we’ll call into question here, has been cited over three hundred times.

In the study, researchers placed test subjects in a room with a plate of homemade cookies, a plate of radishes and an unsolvable puzzle. Each group was allowed to snack from only one plate while instructed to solve the puzzle.

The hypothesis was that the radish group would spend less time struggling with the puzzle because they would expend willpower needed to work on the puzzle on resisting the cookies.

According to the study’s findings, their hypothesis was confirmed. The radish-eating group spent only eight minutes working on the puzzle, whereas the cooking-eating group spent nineteen minutes.

The study concluded that the radish-eaters had experienced ego depletion because of additional use of will power used up by resisting the homemade cookies. But is that what really happened?

In 2011, researcher Braumeister and John Tierney wrote the best-selling book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, which explained the concept of ego depletion. The take home point was that sugar (glucose) restores willpower, self-control and stamina.

A Closer Look

But not everyone was so easily convinced. Upon replicating the study, other scientists determined that Baumeister’s conclusions about ego depletion were not accurate.

Willpower, they found, was not so limited as we thought.

Further research on the subject also did not come to Baumeister’s conclusion. Many scientists now doubt Baumeister’s theory of ego depletion.

Furthermore, the idea that sugar increases willpower has been discredited. Recent discoveries revealed that the brain uses the same number of calories regardless of the task at hand.

So, if sugar is the key to willpower, why are employers not providing their workers with endless sugary treats to increase productivity?

You Decide if Your Willpower is Limited

It is now accepted that the original theory of ego-depletion is untrue, and new explanations have arisen, giving a different explanation as to why we lack willpower in certain scenarios.

Carol Dweck, author of the popular book Mindset, recently found that people who believe that willpower can be depleted proved their belief to be right. Those who did not see willpower as having limits did not display ego depletion.

Dweck’s findings reinforced the concept that belief and behavior go hand in hand. Eating sugary foods makes us feel better for a while. This is a placebo effect that gives us the feeling that we can work a bit longer.

It should be noted that perpetuating the idea that willpower can be used up can do real harm. People who are taught this theory will quit when they think that their willpower is gone, rather than believing they simply need to believe their willpower is there for them whenever they need it.

“I have willpower and determination. I am very resilient, like rock.” – Carnie Wilson

How To Think About Your Own Willpower

This is an exciting time to be alive. If, in fact, we believe that we have the will to push through circumstance, we actually can. It turns out that the old aphorism “If there’s a will, there’s a way” has a kernel of truth.

The best way to think about willpower, then, is that it’s akin to emotion. In the same way that we don’t run out of joy, willpower fluctuates based on what is happening in our lives and how we feel about it.

In the same way that we can keep our emotions under control, willpower can be trained and managed using a variety of mental exercises. If mental energy operates like emotions, it can be managed with the use of self-control. When we need to stay on task, it is healthier to believe that a lack of motivation is merely temporary than to indulge ourselves in sugary foods.

Just as we take cues from our emotions, we should pay attention to what our willpower is telling us. When we experience a chronic lack of mental energy, we should be examining what we are forcing ourselves to spend time doing. If a job requires constant willpower to complete, maybe we are in the wrong job.

By the same token, when we enjoy our work and find it interesting and exciting, willpower does not need to be summonsed. We remain energetic without the artificial and temporary crutch of sugar or other stimulants. We do not put willpower to the test by fighting the temptation to divert our attention to entertainment.

Essentially, we give up on tasks that are not interesting to us. Spending time working on an unsolvable puzzle in a laboratory environment does not spur us on to greater accomplishments. Similarly, boring daily work requires willpower to keep us going.

A better plan is to listen to our struggling willpower telling us that the work at hand is not interesting or satisfying. Our emotions will line up with this message by telling us that there are no enjoyable, exciting feelings when doing the work.

“The achievements of willpower are almost beyond computation. Scarcely anything seems impossible to the man who can will strongly enough and long enough.” – Orison Swett Marden

Closing Thoughts

Calling on willpower until it is strained to the breaking point is a wake-up call that we should a close look at how we are spending our time.

Willpower is sending a harmonizing message to the miserable emotions we are feeling that something is just not right and we should either summons self-control to get the work done or decide it is time to find a different job.

What are some activities that require you to call on your willpower? Please leave a comment below as we would love to know!

Dan Fries is an entrepreneur and writer. He is the co-author of two highly-cited papers in the field of translational oncology research. Currently, Dan manages and operates a portfolio of internet companies, and has partnered with Wired Investors to help grow the company in the rapidly expanding micro-cap private equity space. He is fascinated by the potential of exponential technologies in both biotech and cryptocurrency.

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Success Advice

Mastering Self-Management for Success: Lessons From Peter F. Drucker

With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success.

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In today’s dynamic professional world, self-management has become increasingly important. With careers no longer following a straight, predictable path, self-awareness and adaptability are essential for success. (more…)

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How to Ignite the Spark Within for Future Success

All of us come to this world with our own reserve of magic unfortunately, not everyone can unleash it

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What is it that makes some people great leaders while others remain followers? What magic do they have that others don’t? What special blessing gives them the power to bring significant change?  (more…)

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How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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