The willpower and other fictional animals

The willpower!

What is it made of?

Where is it?

How can I increase it?

All questions unanswered or with such a vague answer that ... never mind.

The so-called psychological language would make Ludwig Wittgenstein, one of the most brilliant philosophers of language, vomit. There are words or expressions that are like unicorns: we talk about them, we write about them, but this does not imply that they correspond to something real.

So what should I do if I want to achieve my goals?

If we study the lives of those who have achieved their goals, whether they be large or small, we certainly do not find imaginary entities that have magically infused in people the energy needed to get them where they wanted to go. Instead, we find very concrete characteristics of their environment that have played a crucial role.

If for example I want to quit smoking, I could be lucky and learn to put money in a transparent jar instead of spending it on cigarettes. In this way, I would see the level of pennies increase day by day. Here's one thing that can actually motivate you. The concept of "health" is certainly important, but it is too abstract, elusive to exert any concrete effect.

If you are on a diet, it makes no sense to hope that you have the will to resist cheese. It makes more sense to make sure that access to cheese is difficult, if not impossible. It is a guarantee of failure to hope to become good at opening the fridge and leaving the cheese there, taking the salad.

Maybe it works for a week. Then, rebound effect, I eat more cheese than before. And I get depressed because I think I'm not strong enough. Food is linked to survival, our body is made to take in as many calories as possible: there is no certainty of tomorrow. It is foolish to think of overcoming a vital necessity forged in millennia of evolution. And if, instead of hunting for imaginary animals, we made sure that the cheese is not in our fridge? Imagine the scene: ten at night, I open the fridge and there are only baking soda and salted capers. If I want cheese, I have to go to the food store.

Maybe so I reach the goal of not eating cheese ...

Stop seeking help in abstract concepts. Learn to change your environment. You could have a lot of nice surprises.