Motivational Monday: On Willpower and A Lack of Vision

“Don’t concentrate on the willpower… concentrate on what you’re trying to will…The lack of discipline is really a lack of vision.” -Rory Vaden.  

Well, I first heard of Rory Vaden while reading Michael Hyatt’s blog post this week on How to Beat Your Brain & Succeed.  Actually, it talks about the simple fact that our brains are wired for survival, not success, so we really have to push to get our brain on the same page as our goals.

Is Willpower A Personality Trait?

Remember my post on discipline, with the Motivational Monday poster of me in a kickboxing match? Well, it turned out to be one of my most popular ones on Pinterest! Also, remember two weeks ago when I was asking you all whether willpower was a personality trait or an attitude? Well, Rory Vaden’s quote is an excellent answer!

In fact, he says that willpower should not be our focus.  How often have you heard people say “Oh, she has a lot of willpower”.  Or, “he can’t depend on willpower forever”?

Well, maybe it’s not about that. Maybe “willpower” is not something to have. Perhaps it’s just a lack of vision.  For example, I have solid vision of where I want my blog and business to go (I have the same strategy for my fitness goals). Without this future in mind, and the progress that comes with working hard towards it, I definitely wouldn’t have “willpower” either!

How To Have Discipline

• Think about what you really want in life.   Yes, it’s great to be flexible and no, not everything will work out, but be really clear about your ideal path
• Write it down.   Make a vision board, a list in your notebook, a digital diagram – whatever works for you.
• Make a plan  
• Stick to it!   Well, I suppose this is the “discipline” part, but I truly believe that if you can visualize the future you want, sticking to your plan will be a lot easier.

Vision: Enjoying The Present vs. Living for the Future

So, it’s a trade-off, right?  Whether you are enjoying the exact moment you’re living in,  or looking to the future? Can you have both? Well, I think so!  For me, being in the present  means having something enjoyable about your journey, and knowing your journey is made of progressive steps.

A “Perfect Day” Exercise

In fact, in his email this week Navid Moazzez, one of my Blogger Heroes, talked about his exercise a few years ago of writing about the perfect day.  A few years later, Moazzez says it’s “not that every day is perfect by any means, but I live my life the way I want while making a big impact in other peoples’ lives at the same time!”

How amazing is that?  He also included a photo of his view of the ocean from his new luxury home in Malta. Visualize!

A “Laser-Sharp” Focus

So, a friend recently told me that I have a “laser-sharp” focus, and maybe that’s why it’s easy for me to focus on a future vision. Well, I think the reason that I have a sharp focus on the future is that I work hard to see progress in the present.  When I try a lot of strategies, and see ZERO progress, that’s when I personally have the most trouble visualizing. Really, that means that I need to continue forward to find a strategy that does work.

What do you think? How easy or difficult is it for you to visualize the future? What is your biggest obstacle?  I love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below!

Have a lovely and productive Monday!  (Or holiday Monday, if you’re here in Spain or in the UK)

P.S.  Photography fans, the main photo for today’s post (and poster!) is one I took way back in 2007 in Vancouver, Canada.