Willpower – The Fuel for Discipline

Willpower. It is a simple word that all of us are pretty familiar with. We tend to think of it as an abstract quality, an elusive and privileged virtue that only the most focused, determined and, well, strong-willed among us possess. That notion couldn’t be any further from the reality – willpower is actually something much more concrete and measurable, and something that all of us have equal access to.

We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.

What is Willpower?

Our universe is a mysterious place. For centuries, we have been striving to comprehend this intricately designed mega-masterpiece, trying to formulate its workings through a well-defined set of physical laws. One such law is the law of entropy. In layman’s terms, entropy is the measure of the disorder or randomness of any system. And the law states that “without intervention, the disorder of any system either increases or remains constant”.

But how does this law apply to us? Naturally, any law that applies to the universe, applies to human beings too, as we are nothing but an infinitesimal speck of the universe. 

While “entropy” might be a scientific term, we are well-acquainted with its manifestation in our daily lives. Temptations, addictions, dullness, anxiety, and depression are just some of the forms in which our life tries to move from order to disorder, from structure to chaos. But not all is doom and gloom – the keywords that need emphasis are “without intervention”. For instance, why does our planet follow a fixed orbit around the Sun, instead of floating randomly in space? Because of the intervention of gravity. Similarly, if we are to save our lives from becoming random and disorderly, there needs to be a counter-force. Willpower is that counter-force.

A Finite Resource

If the human body is a highly efficient machine, designed to be driven on the expressway of self-control and discipline, then willpower is the fuel that runs this machine. It is the power to control our actions, emotions, and urges. Unfortunately, it is a finite resource. And like any finite resource, it needs to be used wisely.

Tapping into her own transformative life experiences, Sri Guru has shared with us some key tips and strategies that can be applied to conserve this precious fuel and use it optimally:

Strategy #1: Eliminate “Have to”, Build “Want to”

One of the primary mechanisms through which we aim to remove randomness from our lives is through the formation of habits. We use positive habits to discipline our life and provide it a meaningful structure – waking up early, following a healthy diet, meditating etc. But sticking to a habit requires a price to be paid. And, as you must have guessed by now, the only accepted currency is our willpower.

The degree to which a habit demands our willpower is influenced by whether it is a habit that we “want to” follow, or one that we “have to” follow. The more our desire to do something, the less our willpower is spent. So, take stock of all your “have to” habits, and see if you can eliminate some of them, or, even better, replace them with “want to” habits? For instance, if you have a decently healthy body, and you love being in nature, maybe you can trade that 1 hour spent in the gym everyday with a 20 minute brisk walk or run outdoors?

Strategy #2: Minimize Using Willpower

This is a corollary of the previous strategy. The less we use our willpower, the more it is available for use in situations where it is actually needed. In the gym example, you save 60 minutes worth of willpower! If you come back home only to remember that you have to clean up your room, you can use some of that saved currency.

Another way to minimize using your willpower is to convert your “have to” habits into “want to habits”. We have to force ourselves to follow a positive habit only when we see it as a long-term investment. We think that the benefits will arrive in a far-off distant future, failing to realize that progress happens in tiny little steps.

In his bestselling book Atomic Habits, James Clear has termed this as shifting from outcome-based habits to identity-based habits. That is, for any habit, instead of focussing on what we want to achieve, our focus should be on who we want to become. For instance, if you want to meditate daily, think of yourself as a calm and meditative person, rather than wanting to meditate everyday to reduce the stress in your life.

Strategy #3: Avoid Testing Willpower

Suppose you are commuting to the office in the morning, and you realize you forgot to carry your mobile phone’s charger. In this catastrophic scenario, would you waste your phone’s battery by using your ultrafast 5G network to watch HD videos on Youtube, with screen brightness turned to 100%? Most of us are wise enough not to do this stupidity.

And yet, we are not so wise when faced with decisions that might put us in precarious situations that suck our willpower. For instance, as part of a spiritual lifestyle, if you want to give up drinking alcohol, it is best to avoid going to places where your willpower is put to test. Because, even if you succeed in abstaining, the amount of willpower that will be drained in doing so will be considerable. And if you are not sure why that is a bad thing, read strategy #2.

Strategy #4

Avoid Sleeping With a Negative Mindset

Despite all our efforts, some days can be extremely testing, to the extent that we get into an extremely negative mindset by the time it’s time to sleep. In such cases, take special care to ensure that you don’t sleep in that mindset. Because if you do, the Divine Mother will use your own energy to heal you in your sleep. And this will have consequences – your reservoir of willpower would already be halved by the time you wake up the next morning. So, take out 5-10 minutes to do something uplifting. Read a few pages of an inspiring book, listen to a Bhakti, connect with God or your Sadguru – do anything to ensure you heal your mental state before going into the Divine Mother’s lap.

The Joy of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?

There is a popular quote that underlines the importance of discipline: “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”

But when we combine these strategies to use our willpower wisely, discipline doesn’t seem that painful. In fact, combined with strategies to increase our willpower, and with the blessings and love of a Guru, a disciplined life can actually become an extremely joyful life.

So, the joy of discipline, or the pain of regret? The choice couldn’t be more obvious.