Book Byte #238 "The Willpower Instinct" by Kelly McGonigal
How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It
📣 Curious Quotes from the Author
“The biggest enemies of willpower: temptation, self-criticism, and stress. (...) these three skills —self-awareness, self-care, and remembering what matter most— are the foundation for self-control.”
“Meditation is not about getting rid of all your thoughts; it’s learning not to get so lost in them that you forget what your goal is. Don’t worry if your focus isn’t perfect when meditating. Just practice coming back to the breath, again and again.”
“The is a secret for greater self-control, the science points to one thing: the power of paying attention.”
“When your mind is preoccupied, your impulses—not your long-term goals—will guide your choices.”
“A short practice that you do every day is better than a long practice you keep putting off to tomorrow.”
“Research shows that people who think they have the most willpower are actually the most likely to lose control when tempted.1 For example, smokers who are the most optimistic about their ability to resist temptation are the most likely to relapse four months later, and overoptimistic dieters are the least likely to lose weight. Why? They fail to predict when, where, and why they will give in. They expose themselves to more temptation,”
“when we’re stressed, our brains persistently mis-predict what will make us happy.”
“Students who were harder on themselves for procrastinating on their first exam were more likely to procrastinate on later exams than students who forgave themselves. The harder they were on themselves about procrastinating the first time, the longer they procrastinated for the next exam! Forgiveness—not guilt—helped them get back on track.”
“Neuroscientists have discovered that when you ask the brain to meditate, it gets better not just at meditating, but at a wide range of self-control skills, including attention, focus, stress management, impulse control, and self-awareness.”
“Ask your brain to do math every day, and it gets better at math. Ask your brain to worry, and it gets better at worrying. Ask your brain to concentrate, and it gets better at concentrating”
📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea
We may better regulate our bad behaviors and lead more happy lives by learning how to focus on our long-term goals, maintain our willpower supply, and exercise our willpower muscle.
Pay careful attention to how you are handling your willpower difficulties.
Try to pay close attention to the decisions you make for at least one day. Were there any circumstances that you could have averted to better preserve your supply of willpower? Have there ever been moments when you lost sight of your long-term objective and caved in to an impulse? Identify your areas of weakness and imagine yourself conquering them.
Refuel your willpower with mindfulness on a regular basis.
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