Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Total Health Tuesday- Willpower

Willpower is something everyone struggles with, especially when taking on a new challenge.
The struggle to not eat too much, or too little.
The stamina it takes to WANT to get up early to workout.
The drive one must muster to push themselves physically to the next challenge.
Where does this energy come from?
Can you always depend on a partner to lean on?
What can get you through when you are all that there is?

I do not believe that we as individuals have an unending amount of strength, while it may be true that we don't always realize our greatest potential, that potential is like a muscle who needs to be gradually worked to its optimal performance.
So.. how do you train your will power? How do you make it stronger without exhausting yourself and crumpling?
Budget.
Yes as in checks and balances budget.
When you want to give more to one area, you HAVE to give less to another.
Most people look at their lives and say I HAVE to do x,y,and z (work, cook, clean for example).
They look at the essentials only and claim there is no wiggle room. What about the non-essentials?
Like the massive amount of activities you and your family attend.
Or your need to help others when you have not taken 5 minutes yourself to wash your hair.
Or the *one* show you have to watch that keeps you up late at night.
Can you eliminate these from your budget?
Can you look at your calendar and say, "NO MORE!" and trim the excess of the agenda and actually stay at home?
Can you restrain yourself from volunteering to take on everyone else's needs?
Can you turn the TV off knowing that in this day and age of Hulu, TIVO, and Netflix, that the show will still be there when you actually have time to watch it?
Is it really worth that time to watch it?
These are all questions I have had to wrestle with over the past few months, areas I have found myself stealing from my will power.
You see I'm working on becoming a better me. One that actually lives and not survives.
For me that means stepping back, saying no to the extra home school activity of the week, or going to bed when I really want to see the next episode of Dexter, or just being the ear that a friend wants when she's venting instead of pushing myself on her to take care of something for her.
She knows I'm here, maybe an ear is better than a superhero right now.

I'm certain that by maintaining my budget of energy and focusing on the things that are important and maybe just a little hard, that eventually they won't take up so much energy, and I can add in an outing or two.
Maybe I will decide that we are just ok hanging out here too.
Either way I will keep myself sane and on track and be able to do my job so that everyone else can do theirs.
That's what I want for my willpower.


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