Work, not Spells, Increases Will Power.

Blessings Darlings!

In my online travels the other day, someone asked for spells to increase their will power.  I was kinda gobsmacked by the question, and not surprised that the person asking hadn't done any mundane work on increasing their will power ... nor had done any work on learning how to do magic (BTW - there are no 'spells to make me know how to do spells', either.)

It's just way easier to increase your will power thru' mundane means than by magical means.  This is because you need to have a LOT of 'will power' to learn magic.  Learning to do magic is a long and tedious process.  You won't make it thru' that process without will power.  Going thru' the process you will develop will power ... but it's a side benefit.  Doing it directly is way more efficient.

For those who are wondering - I'm talking about 'small w' will power.  Not contacting/manifesting your Higher Will.  

So what mundane stuff helps a person strengthen their will power?

1 - Do things you want to do early. And often.  Don't put them off.  Procrastination is your enemy here.  Eat veggies with breakfast, meditate early, stop reading e-mail during the most of the day.

Which might mean you have to take a fearless look at the rhythms in your life.  In my case, my husband wakes up before I do, and when I get up he will interrupt anything I work on in the morning.  So to get MY important stuff done early, I have to be clear that I need to be uninterrupted for the next 20 minutes to meditate, or for the time needed to do offerings, or whatever.  I have to be clear about my needs and communicate them to him. 

2 - Build in a reward for having done the thing you want to do.  Brush your teeth after meditating (You're going to do that before leaving the house anyway, right?) Don't have that second cup of coffee/tea until you close down your e-mail.

3 - Put off doing things you want to stop doing.  Delay having that cigarette.  Or those carbs.  Procrastination is your friend here.  Throw in some distraction as well.  Maybe captioned cat pics. Maybe not if that's what you are doing instead of work.  Put on some hand lotion that you don't want to get on your keyboard if you don't want to be online as much.

4 - Build in a 'punishment' for doing things you don't want to do.  The old 'wear a rubber band on your wrist and snap it if when you swear/whine/whatever".  Donate money to a cause you don't particularly support when you screw up.  I'd say not to go as far as to give $$$ to a candidate you hate, but ... maybe donate to a charity that's just not a PRIORITY of yours.  Maybe a public jazz station if you don't listen to jazz or such.

5 - Remove temptations/cues to do what you don't want to do.  Oust the desserts/cigs/computer short cuts/whatever. 

6 - Make it easy to do what you want to do.  Keep the foods you want to start eating around.  Maybe in frozen form, so they don't go bad while you push yourself to eat 'em.

7 - Work to make it a habit, rather than 'will power'.

8 - As ALWAYS - don't fear failure.  It's a process.  You're changing things.  It doesn't happen immediately.  Your BUILDING will power.

9 - Always Be Testing:  Some folks find that they only have a limited amount of 'will power', and that while it increases with time ... it's going to be weaker later in the day after they used some of it up by not killing coworkers, dealing with traffic, doing whatever practice, etc.  Maybe you need to limit the opportunities to test your will power by simplifying choices.  Or maybe you need to 'practice more' by inflicting your will power on meaningless shit like - I kid you not, this suggestion is all over the internet - brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.  THAT is going to be very individual.  It might vary by the amount of stress you're under, too.  Be aware of yourself and your limits on a day to day basis.

BTW, in researching this, there were lots of suggestions that 'regularly meditation for 8 weeks increases your will power".  Nope, the meditation wasn't it.  The daily 'do it early and make it a habit' things covered above is what did it.  It was the mundane, not the woo.

Frondly, Fern