Brian JohnsonChairman & Philosopher in Residence at Heroic

The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal (Heroic Wisdom Daily)

15 Feb 2025 · 1 min

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1:13

A short spoken-summary by Brian Johnson of Kelly McGonigal’s The Willpower Instinct presenting three practical ways to strengthen willpower: (1) connect actions to meaningful motivation, (2) reduce temptations by simplifying your environment, and (3) practice self-compassion after slip-ups. The piece also promotes related Philosopher’s Notes and a Willpower 101 class.

Chapters

Today's wisdom is from the Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal. Love her and her work. Kelly teaches us willpower is not just a virtue, it's a biological function that can be strengthened. Here's how to cultivate willpower today. Number one, Recognize your why. Kelly says motivation is the foundation of willpower. Connect one action today to a meaningful goal. Number two, you got to reduce temptations. Kelly tells us willpower is depleted when we constantly fight temptation. So simplify your environment to make success easier. And number three, practice self compassion. Self criticism erodes willpower while self compassion restores it. Forgive yourself for slip ups and refocus on your goals. With all that in mind, think about this. What's one small action you can take today? Strengthen your willpower. Here's one idea. Check out the Philosopher's Notes on the Willpower Instinct for more. We've also got a class called Willpower 101 with the top 10 most life changing ideas to get your willpower two heroic levels. Check it out.