Will Power

 You have to adjust your mind to think of will power as a muscle.

Because just like muscles the more you use it the stronger it gets.

That isn't just me saying that either. According to Roy Baumeister, Ph.D., a professor of social psychology at Florida State University, states that you can strengthen your will power with practice. "The more you flex it, the stronger it gets," he says.

There are several ways you can strengthen your will power daily, here a few I recommend. 

1. Plan for success. Because you wouldn't just hop in your car to drive across country to a city you have never been to without so much as glancing at a map...or entering it into google maps. Either way you would see you had so much time, so many miles and you would plan for what route to take, pack some snacks, choose some good road trip music and figure out where you could rest and about when. Right? No? OK you hippy. Well this is the way to succeed. Figure out where you want to go, then find yourself a map to follow to get there and follow it!

2. Do what you love. I am not talking about sitting on the couch and binge watching Game of Thrones. I mean hiking, swimming, biking, dancing, lifting, running...whatever you love to do. Do it. You are far more likely to do it if you love it and it doesn't seem like a chore. Also, you are far less likely to overeat afterward. The researchers at Cornell University found that people ate fewer unhealthy snacks after exercising when the activity was seen as fun instead of work.

3. DECLUTTER. A messy environment can raise stress levels whether you realize it or not. So do the dishes, take the trash out, make your bed...don't be a slob. In another study from Cornell University, stressed out women in a dirty kitchen inhaled TWICE as many cookies as in a clean kitchen...Avoid the temptation and have a clean house? Seems like a win win. 

4. Get your Z's. We all say we want action, adventure and the thrill of life...but in reality we all THRIVE within routine. Go to bed around the same time every night, stop drinking caffeine after 2 p.m. and wake up at the same time every morning. People with poor sleep habits are proven to run out of self-control...will power that is...way faster than people who get a great nights rest.

5. EAT. DO NOT SKIP MEALS. When you eat every 2-4 hours with the right foods you are far less likely to binge eat that bag of cookies when you walk in the door from work. Be mindful enough to ask yourself if this food you are about to shove down your throat is getting you closer to your goals or further away.

These are just suggestions.

We all have things that work for us.

Figure out what your super strengths are and keep  making them stronger.

Dude. This doesn't just happen. You have to make it happen.