Willpower For Dummies

2014·6.13 MB·english

by  Frank Ryan

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(cid:116)(cid:1)Improve your willpower
in seven easy steps
(cid:116)(cid:1)Break an unwanted habit
(cid:116)(cid:1)Exercise self-control in any
area of your life
(cid:116)(cid:1)Cope on days when you’re
at risk of breaking
Frank Ryan
Clinical psychologist and
cognitive therapist
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Willpower

Willpower
by Frank Ryan
Willpower For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, www.wiley.com
This edition first published 2013
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Contents at a Glance
Introduction ......................................................1
Part I: Getting Started with Willpower ................5
Chapter 1: All About Willpower ...............................................................7
Chapter 2: Willpower and You ...............................................................21
Part II: Taking Seven Steps to
Improved Willpower .........................................35
Chapter 3: Training Your Willpower: The Willpower Workshop ......37
Chapter 4: Zeroing in on a Single Goal ..................................................53
Chapter 5: Recognising that Change is a Journey that Takes Time.....67
Chapter 6: Know Your Triggers! Forewarned is Forearmed ..............79
Chapter 7: Be Kind to Yourself When You Fail ....................................93
Chapter 8: Rewarding Yourself along the Way ..................................105
Chapter 9: Maintaining Your Progress ...............................................119
Part III: Following Up for Success ..................133
Chapter 10: Developing and Maintaining Realistic Optimism .........135
Chapter 11: Creating a Lifestyle That Promotes Willpower .............151
Part IV: The Part of Tens ................................163
Chapter 12: (More Than) Ten Things to Know about Willpower ....165
Chapter 13: Ten Ways to Support Your Willpower ...........................179
Chapter 14: Ten (Plus) Willpower-related Websites and Apps .......185
Index ............................................................195

Table of Contents
Introduction .......................................................1
About This Book ........................................................................2
Foolish Assumptions .................................................................3
Icons Used in This Book ............................................................3
Beyond the Book ........................................................................4
Where to Go from Here .............................................................4
Part I: Getting Started with Willpower .................5
Chapter 1: All About Willpower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Equating Willpower and Success .............................................7
Recognising that You Do Have Willpower ..............................8
Understanding How Willpower Works ..................................10
Considering the origins and workings of willpower ....10
Realising that willpower is a shared resource ...........14
Realising that willpower is a limited resource ...........16
Being Aware of Addiction Issues............................................17
Increasing Your Willpower .....................................................18
Chapter 2: Willpower and You . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Linking Personality and Willpower ........................................22
Exploring the Big Five Facets of Personality ........................22
Reading Your Feelings .............................................................26
Emotion is in the eye of the beholder .........................27
Negative emotions are more compelling ....................29
Connecting Your Emotions and Willpower ..........................29
Appreciating the Role of Positive Emotions .........................30
Considering Your Beliefs about Willpower ..........................31
Part II: Taking Seven Steps to
Improved Willpower .........................................35
Chapter 3: Training Your Willpower:
The Willpower Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Developing Problem-Solving Skills.........................................38
Distinguishing between worrying and
problem solving .........................................................38
Using the 5W1H approach ............................................40
viii
Willpower For Dummies
Feeding Your Brain: The Willpower Diet ..............................43
Preventing your brain from getting rusty! ..................43
Avoiding a diet that reduces your willpower .............44
Realising that the quick fix is not the best fix ............46
Matching food to willpower challenges ......................47
Taking Physical Exercise.........................................................48
Exercising Your Brain ..............................................................50
Developing Your Willpower Muscle ......................................51
Chapter 4: Zeroing in on a Single Goal . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Working Memory: Your Brain’s Desktop ..............................54
Contrasting working memory and long-term
memory .......................................................................54
Being single-minded ......................................................55
Looking at Motivation: The Essence of Willpower ..............57
Choosing the right goal at the right time....................57
Identifying priorities: Your personal balance sheet ....58
Identifying Your Values ...........................................................59
Setting SMART Goals ...............................................................60
Prioritising, Preparing and Performing .................................62
Ways to Nudge Yourself ..........................................................63
Chapter 5: Recognising that Change is
a Journey that Takes Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Seeing the Cycle of Change .....................................................67
Precontemplation ..........................................................69
Contemplation ................................................................70
Preparation .....................................................................70
Action ..............................................................................70
Maintenance ...................................................................71
Relapse ............................................................................73
Realising when it’s Okay to Quit ( or Quit Quitting!) ...........73
Review and reflect .........................................................74
Know that old habits die hard .....................................75
Chapter 6: Know Your Triggers! Forewarned is
Forearmed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Identifying Your Triggers ........................................................79
Recognising your internal and external triggers .......80
Being prepared ...............................................................82
Planning to Cope ......................................................................84
Putting the ‘if, then’ strategy to use ............................86
Acting on the ‘now versus later’ strategy ...................87
Forming and Changing Habits ................................................88