How is "willpower" causing you to get in your own way?

How many of you have said, "I really need to work on my willpower."? 

I have.  

Notice what happens to your body and mind when you say that sentence.  What do you feel? 

Guilt. Defeated. Pressure.  Frustration.  Ugh... another thing to do! Stress. 

Not good feelings, right? Yet, it's a word that we may think is one that is meant to help us improve our lives, health, fitness, nutrition.  

To be honest, the word "willpower" has made it's way on to my "DO NOT USE" list.  Some other words that fall on that list are:  should, can't, diet.... 

But today let's stay focused on the word "WILLPOWER." 

We as humans naturally don't like being told what to do.  We like to rebel.  We like to be independent and do what we want.  Wait?! Is that just me? Is that just my Taurus, bull-headed personality?  Maybe that drives my rebellion a little further, but to be honest we all have some part of us that is like "don't tell me what to do!"  

Think of a little kid.  Try telling them what to do and see how well that goes.  It's something that is a part of us from a young age.  

And, you know what?! There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that.  Instead of seeing it as a problem or a weakness, I want to help you shift how to look at is as strength.  

So, back to the statement "I need to work on my willpower."  To me, that statement feels like there is something wrong with me, that there's an area of my life where I'm lacking or you need to improve, like I'm being told from an external source that there is something that you need to make myself better.  It's a comparison-- I don't measure up like so and so.  Or it can also be considered a term of endearment.  "Look at ______, she's been looking fabulous lately! She must have really strong willpower." It implies that we are taking action because of negativity, not self-love or positivity. 

But what if you're already really awesome? What if you know you are capable? What if you know you have strength to make good choices? 

So, you might be saying "Okay, Kelly... so what's your genius idea to remove the word "willpower" from my vocabulary." 

I want you to think about a word or statement that is empowering.  

To me, that word is CHOICE.  Notice what happens to your body when you say "I am capable of making choices that will make me feel good." 

What do you feel? Lighter? Empowered? Excited? Motivated? 

So today, I challenge you to identify a term you are using that doesn't feel good, and find a way to flip it into an empowering word or phrase.  

YOU are CAPABLE of taking amazing ACTION! 

To set up breakthrough session with me to talk about your goals and vision for your life, check out my calendar and find a time that works for both of us! I want to hear your goals, that big vision you have and help you identify ways to breakthrough those barriers!