People often say that successful entrepreneurs are superhumans with superpowers. The reason isn’t far-fetched. It’s simply because nothing seems to faze them and they face daunting tasks with full confidence.
But as you may already know, they aren’t supreme beings. They just have incredible willpower. This sheer willpower is why they keep up with early mornings and late nights just to overcome obstacles on their way.
Willpower is the ability to face and accomplish tasks. That is, no matter the resistance, you get things done. Having incredible willpower is very important in business.
Inherently, we are born with our share of willpower; with some, more than others. However, if you train and nurture your willpower then it will grow stronger. That’s for sure. Just like strength training in the gym, you have to constantly train your willpower. And eventually, it’d help you overcome challenges in business.
First off, what behavioral factors affect your willpower?
Your Habits
Your habits are actions you take without thought. They’ve become a part of you and occur subconsciously. Although new habits can be formed to override old ones, it takes a lot of discipline and commitment.
What do you do when you’re faced with challenges in your daily life? Do you suddenly go light in the head and cower away looking for alternatives? Or you toughen up and source for long-lasting solutions. Over time, what you do in the face of challenges will become habitual and would either make or mar your willpower.
Your Self Control and Discipline
Self-control means sticking to the plan at all times. It’s the ability to concentrate on behaviors with long-lasting rewards, even in the face of irrelevant ones.
Occasionally, there would be situations when sticking to the plan would be very difficult. With the travails of business and associated emotional overloads, you may be distracted and sometimes lose your way.
However, when you focus primarily on fruitful ventures no matter the odds, it’d be easier to develop the self-control needed for business success.
Ultimately when you start seeing good results, choosing profitable endeavors over irrelevant ones would become habitual. Then, you can watch your willpower and business grow stronger as a result.
How to Boost Your Willpower
You can boost your willpower by:
Exercising regularly and Staying Healthy
Like I said earlier, building your willpower is synonymous with building muscles in the gym. And as we all know, building muscles requires a strong, motivated mind. Just as gym weights aren’t a walk in the park, business challenges can be overwhelming.
So, you need to be fully fit to face the fight ahead. Eat well and healthily, exercise regularly, and you’d develop the confidence and wellness you need to face your goals head-on.
Set Realistic Expectations
When you set unrealistic expectations from the get-go, you’re doing more harm to your willpower than you’d take credit for. Instead, set achievable and realistic goals.
“Achievable goals” here do not mean setting easy goals and resting on your laurels. You should ensure your goals are increasing in difficulty with each milestone. The aim here is to build enough capacity to tackle tougher targets ahead.
Be Passionate About Your Business
As a rule, you cannot be at your best if you’re disinterested in your work. Are you passionate about your business? Would you rather be doing something else? It’s quite easier to motivate yourself if you love what you’re doing.
Then, you’d be able to express yourself better and obstacles on your way wouldn’t bother you. They’d only make you stronger.
For example, when you’re in love with a partner, you don’t immediately cower if they seem disinterested. You try harder. You’d need the same energy to succeed in business. When the going gets tough, remember why you started in the first place.
