Willpower For Dummies E-Book

Frank Ryan

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Ratgeber
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 283

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2014

Beschreibung

Develop rock-solid willpower with evidence-based techniques

Willpower For Dummies shows you how to train, strengthen, and improve your willpower in seven easy steps! Written by a clinical psychologist and cognitive therapist, the book proves that willpower can be learned like any other skill, and provides tons of practical exercises and strategies you can start using today. You'll learn how willpower works inside the brain, and how choosing goals and identifying challenges can affect your success. The book stresses the importance of patience, rewards and being kind to yourself, and walks you through the techniques that will keep you on the right track, even on your worst days.

The mind works in two different ways: the long view and the short view. Controlling which aspect wins out is the key to willpower. Willpower For Dummies breaks this complex science down into easily digestible bits, written in plain English with a dash of humour. You'll find scientifically robust guidance toward strengthening your willpower just like a muscle, and expert advice on training your brain to work with you instead of against you.

• Discover the most important factors in building self-discipline
• Learn how to set goals and how to train your willpower
• Practice simple willpower-strengthening exercises
• Employ coping strategies for when you're about to break

Whether you're trying to lose weight, quit smoking or just work harder, rest assured that you can do it—regardless of past failures and false starts. Willpower is not a trait, but a skill. Everyone can learn it, and everyone can make it stronger. Willpower For Dummies walks you through the process, teaching you the skills you need for lasting success.

Leseprobe

Willpower For Dummies®

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, www.wiley.com

This edition first published 2013

© 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, Chichester, West Sussex.

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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978-1-118-68003-2 (pbk), ISBN 978-1-118-68000-1 (ebk), ISBN 978-1-118-68001-8 (ebk)

Printed in Great Britain by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall

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Willpower For Dummies

Visit www.dummies.com/cheatsheet/willpower to view this book's cheat sheet.

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part I: Getting Started with Willpower

Chapter 1: All About Willpower

Equating Willpower and Success

Recognising that You Do Have Willpower

Understanding How Willpower Works

Considering the origins and workings of willpower

Realising that willpower is a shared resource

Realising that willpower is a limited resource

Being Aware of Addiction Issues

Increasing Your Willpower

Chapter 2: Willpower and You

Linking Personality and Willpower

Exploring the Big Five Facets of Personality

Reading Your Feelings

Emotion is in the eye of the beholder

Negative emotions are more compelling

Connecting Your Emotions and Willpower

Appreciating the Role of Positive Emotions

Considering Your Beliefs about Willpower

Part II: Taking Seven Steps to Improved Willpower

Chapter 3: Training Your Willpower: The Willpower Workshop

Developing Problem-Solving Skills

Distinguishing between worrying and problem solving

Using the 5W1H approach

Feeding Your Brain: The Willpower Diet

Preventing your brain from getting rusty!

Avoiding a diet that reduces your willpower

Realising that the quick fix is not the best fix

Matching food to willpower challenges

Taking Physical Exercise

Exercising Your Brain

Developing Your Willpower Muscle

Chapter 4: Zeroing in on a Single Goal

Working Memory: Your Brain’s Desktop

Contrasting working memory and long-term memory

Being single-minded

Looking at Motivation: The Essence of Willpower

Choosing the right goal at the right time

Identifying priorities: Your personal balance sheet

Identifying Your Values

Setting SMART Goals

Prioritising, Preparing and Performing

Ways to Nudge Yourself

Chapter 5: Recognising that Change is a Journey that Takes Time

Seeing the Cycle of Change

Precontemplation

Contemplation

Preparation

Action

Maintenance

Relapse

Realising when it’s Okay to Quit (or Quit Quitting!)

Review and reflect

Know that old habits die hard

Chapter 6: Know Your Triggers! Forewarned is Forearmed

Identifying Your Triggers

Recognising your internal and external triggers

Being prepared

Planning to Cope

Putting the ‘if, then’ strategy to use

Acting on the ‘now versus later’ strategy

Forming and Changing Habits

Chapter 7: Be Kind to Yourself When You Fail

Taking Responsibility While Avoiding Self-blame

Accepting the responsibility to do better

Seeing failure as an opportunity for change

Forgoing self-blame

Losing hurts

Recovering from a Setback

Switching your perspective

Managing negative thoughts

Restoring your confidence

Re-evaluating and re-setting your goal