Strengthening Your Will

Lucid Lounge
1

WILLIAM BLAKE: Does a firm persuasion that a thing is so, make it so?

ISAIAH: All poets believe that it does, and in ages of imagination this firm persuasion removed mountains; but many are not capable of a firm persuasion of any thing.

I’ve been trying to do the will strengthening exercises at the back of EWLD without much success. I always procrastinate. Even though the tasks are easy to do and only take 10 minutes or so, I still can’t manage to do 2 tasks, 2 days in a row, yet. I’m sure I could if my life depended on it, well that’s willpower I guess heh.

  • Is anyone else doing these or similar exercises? Do you have any tips?

I really want to improve my willpower as I’m also trying to quit smoking. I haven’t smoked for a couple of weeks but I know if I go to the pub I’ll be tempted.

I think a stronger will would help for lots of things: keeping a dream journal; MILD; auto-suggestion; getting up in time for work etc!

2

If that thing, such as a belief, takes place on a mental level, yes.

3

Could you please explain quickly in what they consist?

4

The EWLD exercises are ones like Run up and down the stairs 50 times. Sit up and down from your seat 100 times. Etc.

5

Page 310 of EWLD:

  • Move 50 paper clips from 1 box to another, 1 at a time, deliberately and slowly.

  • Get up and down from a chair 30 times.

  • Stand on a chair for 5 minutes.

  • Repeat quietly, but aloud: “I will do this,” while beating time for 5 minutes.

  • Walk back and forth in a room, touching in turn a certain object on each side of the room for 5 minutes.

  • Get out of bed 15 minutes earlier than necessary in the morning.

  • Resist completely the impulse to complain for an entire day.

  • Write 100 times, “I will write a useless exercise.”

  • Say hello to 5 people to whom you’ve never before spoken.

  • Find a poem you like and memorize it.

Ok, not so brief.

(If that’s copyright infringement then delete this!)

6

I guess doing my regular daily work out works as a will excercise as well, because it is so intense. I mean, it’s an hour long.

7

Serbitar, I tried those will-strengthening exercises from EWLD too, for a few days, started with the paper clip thing the first day, then added the chair…not sure I could ever resist the urge to complain for a whole day though, LOL.

Anyway, I kept track of the exercises in my DJ…let me go get it…yeah, I gave up on Day 3, it was too boring and I just didn’t see the point. But what I learned from the paper clip exercise was that the idea of the task seemed more tedious than actually doing the task and it didn’t take long at all so I did it twice.

Does the fact that I found it boring and gave up so easily mean that I have a weak will? I suppose so, but I know that my will is strong enough to do anything that I really want to do because I’ve quit smoking cold turkey in the past and if that’s not will power I don’t know what is!

8

I did that paperclip exercise for a number of weeks before stopping. I would sit there for 20 minutes, at work, counting paperclips.
My workmates began to worry about me :tongue:
But I do believe it worked, I never felt so motivated at work before!

9

Hmmm yeah maybe, especially if you don’t enjoy it! I can’t be bothered to go to the gym but I do run and that can be a test of will over long distances.

I think that is the point. It’s boring and you don’t want to do it so you have to will yourself to do it.

Definitely, the hardest part is always starting!

Congratulations :gni: Cold turkey’s the way to go. I’m fine if I’m not around smokers I know. Unfortunately I smoked about 20 this weekend. :sigh:

:lol: Careful with that one, you could get sectioned!

I’m going to start the exercises again this week. I’m thinking a belief in the ultimate usefulness of it would help. Whether or not that belief is true!