Willpower Doesn't Work: Discover the Hidden Keys to Success

You avoid situations and environments that would have you do differently.

“The ones who know a lot about their families tend to do better when they face challenges,”

Being radically honest with who you need to be is all that matters now.

The uncertainties about the situation are irrelevant. The difficult emotions you must face are no longer barriers.

mindfulness is nothing more than awareness of context, as well as awareness of variability or alterations in that context. If you’re mindless, then you don’t notice nuance. You assume everything is black and white. You assume the rules in one environment are the same as the rules in another.

The very fact that willpower is required comes from several fundamental sources: • You don’t know what you want, and are thus internally conflicted. • Your desire (your why) for your goals isn’t strong enough. • You aren’t invested in yourself and your dreams. • Your environment opposes your goal.

When it comes to self-improvement, investing 10 percent of your income on yourself will yield a hundred-times-or-more return on that investment. For every dollar you spend

When it comes to achieving goals, making committed decisions involves: • investing up front; • making it public; • setting a timeline; • installing several forms of feedback/accountability; and • removing or altering everything in your environment that opposes your commitment.

they’re playing it safe. They’re calculating their moves to ensure they don’t look stupid. They’re hedging their bets, creating several backup plans in case their dreams don’t quite work out.