A 1996 paper in the field of psychology concluded that “Will-power is like using a muscle: After exercising it, it loses its strength, gets fatigued, and becomes ineffectual, at least in the short-term.” For those inclined to read more, elaborate commentary can be found here.
The flip side of the same coin is that will-power can be strength-conditioned as well - through deliberate exercises and practices. For example, by setting “small”, “easy” goals and seeing them through, the mind is conditioned - it develops a winning habit. Converse is true, quitting tasks - no matter how trivial - becomes a habit too.
Another perspective, backed by data and scientific research, comes from Dr Krishna Savani at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and also shared by Dr. Christian Jarrett: “Instead of thinking of willpower as the amount of petrol in a car… think of it as the car’s battery,” The more you drive, the more the battery gets charged, and the longer it will last.” An elaborate commentary can be found here.
The real-life practical implications, in my humble and layman-ish opinion, are similar from all such works of research, and they converge with the traditional wisdom on the matter: ‘Practice becomes strongly embedded when it is nourished by regularity and truthful actions over a period of time’ (Patanjali’s Sutra 1.14: Sa tu dirgha kala nairantarya satkarasevito dridhabhumih.) Applied here: with earnest, mindful practice, will-power can be increased.
As day-to-day practical steps, it is then generally advised to make any resolution - “sankalpa” - very judiciously, and to refrain from lofty and unrealistic goal-setting, as the outcomes feed either of the two respective mindsets (a/ strengthened will-power-mindset or b/ debilitated will-power-mindset). Unfortunately, the magnitude and glory of the tasks undertaken is immaterial. The scores move by just 1 or -1, black or white, simple yes or simple no; not taking into account the quality.
As an example: a smoker’s resolution to stay off tobacco just for one day, if successfully kept will have a positive impact. Another resolution could be to complete the London marathon in under four hours. Well, if the marathon was completed, but not in under four hours: the sankalpa failed, and despite the glorious context, it will have a negative impact. The sankalpa shakti scorecard gained 1 in the former instance, and lost 1 in the latter.
By this logic, will power can be conditioned and increased by succeeding frequently, even though in small magnitudes, and by being a mindful decision-maker. One may also think of it as an Artificial Intelligence bot that has to be trained on data. This analogy gives a sense of healthy detachment from the mental faculty of will-power. i.e. it is a skill, though innate but still to be sharpened as if an external tool. Mindful decision making applied to small tasks can have compounding impact on will power. A simple daily check-list that I would myself like to follow in this direction is to:
Have a realistic and reasonable wake up time in the morning, so that there is never the risk of pressing the snooze button and scoring -1 on the sankalpa shakti scorecard
Make up bed first thing every morning after getting up and score an easy +1
Meditate every morning to shore up energy for further +1s
Having a well-deliberated and realistic time-plan for the week and the day that involves wholesome life activities; with self-joy taking the highest priority (arts, sports, etc. - any recreation that doesn’t involve self-abuse): and sticking to the plan. Score more +1s in a planned way!
Working towards a “larger” and long-term goal may or may not be part of the plan; it does not matter. Frequent uncorrelated wins - even though small - matter more.
Of course, everyone would have their own similar check-list. But the importance of a self-schedule can’t be over-emphasized enough.
In all likelihood, all of the above is commonly known, cliched and intuitive. The associated neurological and biochemical narratives (adrenalin, dopamine, endorphins, etc.) are well researched and general knowledge. The following section may not be.
There is an effective yoga-hack to access the sub-conscious and therein plant the seeds of a sankalpa. It is kind of self-hypnosis - making a suggestion to the sub-conscious, priming it and influencing it. Modern science estimates, and it’s yet another cliche, that sub-conscious controls more than 90% of our brain activities, and is arguably proportionately more potent than the conscious mind. So why not harness this reservoir of power to achieve a particular goal!
The practice goes thus: Prepare yourself in a meditative posture, ideally after a run, or a yoga session, a gym workout, or a dance. Perform pranayama or simple deep breathing to calm down body, breath and mind. After a complete exhalation, assume simultaneously the bandhas (energy locks) of the mooladhara and swadhisthana chakras (mool-bandha), manipura (uddiyan bandh) and vishuddhi (jalandhara bandh); and with closed eyes gaze internally at the ajna chakra (eye brow centre). One of Ajna’s literal meanings is “command”. While holding the locks and the gaze, and awareness at Ajna chakra, repeat the sankalpa internally three times. This is akin to commanding the subconscious. The bandhas and the internal gaze bring the practitioner in proximity of the sub-conscious, and repeating the sankalpa in this state encourages the entire sub-conscious to organise and align itself behind the sankalpa.
If the practitioner is not familiar with the chakras and bandhas, a simple substitute could be to exhale completely and hold the breath (or even while holding breath internally after a deep inhalation), gaze internally with closed eyes at the space between the eye-brows, and repeat mentally the sankalpa. No excuse for not trying!
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar
One final thought: While there are elegant theories and abounding practical tips to understand and enhance will-power, taking the first baby step itself needs will-power to build will-power. Developing other skills and working towards goals need will-power. The funny - and also simultaneously not so funny - thing here is that developing will-power needs a starting dose of … will-power. For many this could be a never-ending (or never starting) convoluted loop of dependancy. For example, pulling oneself out of depression vs. slipping further into it. External help from loved ones - to provide a much-needed jumpstart - becomes quite critical in such situations. Stocking up the reservoir when completely healthy and capable is a wise idea too.
Then there’s the other extreme - which we should be wary of - where will-power can morph into ego-fuel.
Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you, Namaste!
