Did you know that, among the handful of programs I continually have running, there is always a dictionary program active on my laptop? Oh, sure, there are tons of great web sites out there for looking up words — and I do use those regularly. But, I just like my handy-dandy dictionary program. It’s instant (no waiting for pages to load, etc.), it’s ad-free, and it and has a great — no, scratch that, a tantalizing! — thesaurus as well.
Anyway, here’s what my trusty friend, the American Heritage Dictionary, has to say about the phrase “will power”:
The strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.
Okay, so how does this apply to raw foods? Well, over in our comment-discussion last week on “Phantom Fat,” the subject arose. I thought it was important enough to bring up and formalize here in a post.
Will power IS just that, a certain strength of will. And sometimes it does take will power to keep you on the straight and narrow, so to speak. But, a point I like to make is that it also takes no will power at all, in a manner of thinking. I attempted to articulate a lot of this about six months back in this post. So, if you’re wondering my thoughts on the matter of will power, definitely check that post out.
In short, though… ask yourself, “What IS will power?” I think we can expand that definition, above, a little bit by asking, “Why does it require strength?” For example, in the context of a cooked food craving (as is the case in the post linked to in the previous paragrah), what’s going on?
Well… your “will” is your realization on some level that you want to be healthy. Yet, there is still some part of you that wants [fill in the blank with something you know is unhealthy]. So, it takes “strength” or “resolve” to overpower that pesky desire.
For many, the desire to stray is just too overpowering, though. So, relying on that strength or resolve, no matter how bad some part of you wants to be healthy, may be too much to ask. So, what do you do? That’s tough, right?
Well, the only thing you can do, really, is to rid yourself of the unhealthy, underlying desire. Or, at a minimum, work on reducing that desire to a manageable level. I know, I know… easier said than done. But, trust me, it’s possible. I’m living proof! Again, this post (same as the one I linked to above), offers a roughed-out plan for doing so (or at least sketches out some of the basic psychology necessary for you to do so).
I won’t lie to you: It’s kind of a “leap of faith” system. Step one is simply to persevere. That may sound cheesy to some, but it’s still a critical step because it’s the one in which you’re making an active decision about your life and taking action on it. So, step one is huge! Step two is the relevatory “aha!” moment when your volition manifests itself via a kind of deeper understanding. From then on, you won’t likely give in to things like cravings any longer, as their power over your will have waned significantly.
How long does it take to get from step one to step two? LOL… good question! The answer is: It’s instantaneous. You see, step two is a switch that just gets flipped at some point. My opinion, of course. What you’re really asking is: How long does it take to flip the switch? Aha… now that’s where it differs from person to person. For some, it takes years. For rare others (certainly not me), a single moment. For most, it’s just that normal period of transition (a few months, a year, etc.).
Coming up this week on Pure Jeevan!
- Tuesday: Wendi’s Lyme Update: We’re heading out of town Monday morning to see a Lyme specialist. Should be quite interesting!
- Wednesday: Live Blood Analysis. What is it? How can you put it to work for you? A video of Jim & Wendi’s experiences!
- Thursday: Dealing with the COLD! Winter transition discussion.
- Friday: Taking action! What’s the difference between “wanting” to do something and actually *deciding* to DO it?
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