Concentrating all your willpower is the hardest way to stick to your goals – yet we do it all the time.
Deep down we know that we were meant for something more than a run-of-the-mill existence, so we listen to motivational coaches; we read self-help blogs; we write our goals down; we create an action plan. And… nothing happens.
The more we ‘motivate’ ourselves and stay consistent, the greater our mind and body resist it. The more we try to convince ourselves, to persuade, to reason – the more likely we will put things off. The more we rely on willpower, the harder it gets.
It’s one thing to stomach the fact that you failed to follow-through with the goal you knew you could achieve. But it’s another thing to justify this to your friends, co-workers and family members.
I remember how embarrassed I felt every time my friends asked me "Are you still going to the gym?” or “How is your book coming along?”
Even if you know that you’ve been busy, saying it out loud sounds like you are trying to justify the lack of results. And, let’s be honest, being busy is an excuse. Because everyone has 24 hours a day and we’re not busier than any other guy or gal out there who actually goes to the gym, or takes Spanish language classes, or writes a blog.
A game-changing study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research (2012), may hold the key to sticking to healthy habits and avoiding unhealthy ones.
In the experiment, a number of working women were asked to sign up for a “health and wellness seminar” and were then divided into two groups:
Group 1 wasn’t given any specific instructions, except for “just saying no” every time they felt like procrastinating on their fitness goals.
Group 2 was told that anytime they felt tempted to lapse on their goals, they should rely on their willpower and use the “can’t” strategy. For example, “I can’t miss my workout today” or “I can’t eat sweets for dinner”
The group that was asked to rely on willpower did 3 times worse than the group that wasn’t given any instructions at all!
Forcing yourself into ‘Doing the Right Thing’ only wastes precious mental energy and weakens your motivation!
Do you start new goals, but get side-tracked by work projects and household duties? Do you buy self-help books, but hardly ever get a chance to read or apply any of what you’ve learned?
Does it drive you crazy, and then do you just give up in frustration? If so, then this system is just for you. You’ll learn how taking consistent action is a simple science. It’s a paint-by-dot system. By the time you finish the reading the ebook, you’ll have not only learned how to stick with your goals, but will be well on your way to seeing actual – and very real – results of those actions. And as we’ve seen before, you’ll not only be able to beat procrastination without muscling willpower, but will also create a strong momentum towards developing rock-solid positive habits. But there’s always the fear…
I liked setting goals. In fact, I had piles of goals – I’d put them on sticky notes, I’d write them down in a notebook and highlight them with a yellow marker. I’d put them on my desktop.
But nothing happened. These brilliantly stated goals would just sit there, unaccomplished, uncompleted, some simply unattempted.
How could I avoid getting distracted, when in any given day my mind would bounce around like the ball in a pinball machine?
I admit I was very reluctant about getting the 4WD book. I even wrote an email asking if it made sense for me to start with this program at all.
4WD is a powerful system. I appreciated that it was organized well and easy to read. I loved the funny pictures and the to-the-point approach.
I particularly liked the "Don’t break the chain" strategy. It’s been 47 days since I started working on my 15-minute workout routine, and I haven’t skipped one day. It’s great to have more energy and stay active. But the best part is the confidence boost that it gives you!
I used to blame my inability to concentrate and lack of willpower for my failures. Your book has made me realize that it’s not about willpower. Now I actually give goal-setting advice to my friends. Isn’t that ironic?
The 4WD is unique in many ways, but the best part is that you can really apply the same strategies and techniques to lose weight or to grow your business. As a freelancer, my income depends on the speed and quality of my work. After reading 4WD, my productivity grew tremendously (and so did my PayPal account ).
I learned to live with ADD, but I realized that I don’t have to live with incompletion. Thanks Arina!
In Action Step, you’ll choose a goal that requires consistency and learn exactly what strategies and elements you need to put in place in order to follow through with it. Anyone can take one-time action steps. But important life changes depend on taking habitual action steps.
In the Focus part, you’ll learn the most effective technique to successfully keep yourself focused, as used by Jerry Seinfeld for over 30 years of his career. If it has worked for one of The 100 Greatest Standups Of All Time, it will work for you!
In the Motivation part, you’ll uncover the emotional hot buttons behind our goals in just 15 fleeting minutes. Motivation doesn’t last, because we fail to find the profound psychological reasons of wanting to achieve something. It has to do with the subconscious mind, and goes beyond simple “Find Your WHY?" exercises.
In the Process part, you’ll learn to…
4WD System
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