Willpower is real.

🧠 Willpower is real.
❌ But it is also a limited resource (see ego depletion).

⚔️ Picture it like a health bar in a video game. If you do certain things and are in certain environments, you start the day with a completely full health bar (willpower bar).

💪 In fact, you can even extend the length of your willpower bar by practicing self-control (which leads to achieving results).

🤔 But here is the reality. Most people start their day with very low willpower bars due to any number of reasons. Poor quality sleep, stressful situations, jobs or relationships, poor diet, basically all the usual suspects.

💀 And here is the sad thing. Those common causes make it difficult to control your life (via willpower) and then you end up having a weak willpower bar for the next day. It’s a tough feedback loop.

👀 Luckily, the common causes are all things that can be addressed, like practicing quality sleep habits (unless you have a newborn like me). You can even boost your willpower bar with things like having a positive outlook in life (find a goal, work to achieve it) and having a sense of gratitude for the things that are going well.

✅ Imagine that when you started your day, you could actually see a visual bar above your head showing you how much willpower you have to work with and then planning your day accordingly. But since that isn’t the case, the next best thing you can do is take my word for it.