{"id":103928,"date":"2018-07-12T21:41:15","date_gmt":"2018-07-13T04:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=103928"},"modified":"2018-07-12T21:43:40","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T04:43:40","slug":"how-to-gain-more-willpower","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/12\/how-to-gain-more-willpower\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Gain More Willpower"},"content":{"rendered":"

Will power: the power of our will to enact change which we desire to see in reality \/ the power to create things we desire to create! #entrepeneurship<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Download PDF: WILLPOWER<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\"selfie<\/p>\n

The ultimate human good and attribute we have is our willpower.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

Well, we cannot control whether we were born into a rich family, we cannot control what genetics we were born with \u00e2\u20ac\u201d but we can control the amount of effort we put into our lives.<\/p>\n

We have the power to control our will, and to increase our determination, discipline, and the power of our mind-body.<\/p>\n

\n

\"Eric<\/p>\n

There are a lot of things which drain our willpower, or distract (scatter) our willpower.<\/p>\n

For example,<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Toilsome work drains our willpower<\/li>\n
  2. Distracting media takes away from our focus <\/li>\n
  3. Scary \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fake news\u00e2\u20ac\u009d makes us fearful, and makes us have less self-confidence, and might discourage us from trying to do anything (we are scared into submission)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    \"Cindy<\/p>\n

    The best way to live the best life:<\/p>\n

    \n Increase our willpower, and use that willpower to do stuff, create stuff, or act on things we actually care about.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    That means,<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Using your willpower to write, make art, write poetry, make photos, make music, films, etc. <\/li>\n
    2. Using your willpower to start your own business, or take entrepreneurial risks. <\/li>\n
    3. Using your willpower to create new things, and have the boldness\/brazenness to share your own personal (and crazy\/foolish) ideas. <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Without willpower, we are nothing as humans.<\/p>\n

      \n

      \"Flash<\/p>\n

      I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently reading \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Summa Theologica<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d by Saint Thomas Aquinas (this guy is super smart), and he philosophized much about free will, passion, and the power of the human will.<\/p>\n

      Essentially Aquinas states we as humans do in-fact have free will, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what separates us from other \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beasts of burden\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00e2\u20ac\u201d other animals are only ruled by their passions (their gut instincts), whereas we humans can use our rationality and direct our own free will.<\/p>\n

      \"Flash<\/p>\n

      And yes, we do have free will as humans. We cannot control whether our heart automatically pumps blood, or when we breathe while we sleep at night, yet we can control our reactions to life via Stoic<\/a> and philosophical training, which the Greeks called \u00e2\u20ac\u0153askesis\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (mental fortitude training\/exercise).<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      So in short, we can gain willpower through self-training, just like how we can build muscle by physical exercise.<\/p>\n

      To become the most epic person possible, both train your intellect and your body.<\/p>\n

      Or in other words (in the words of Nassim Taleb<\/a>)<\/p>\n

      \n Academics and philosophers should learn how to deadlift<\/a>.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      \"Red<\/p>\n

      \n

      Personal tips<\/h2>\n

      \"Venice.<\/p>\n

      This is what I personally do to build my own willpower, and gain willpower:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Workout<\/strong>: After an intense workout session (intense chin-ups or body weight exercises at the park), or heavy \u00e2\u20ac\u0153one rep max\u00e2\u20ac\u009d powerlifting wt the gym with deadlift, squats, or heavy dumbell presses, I feel amped, hyped, and I feel invincible. I then ride this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153beast mode\u00e2\u20ac\u009d sense of apotheosis energy, and then start to write, make photos, philosophize, or make art. <\/li>\n
      2. Take a nap<\/strong>: When I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m super drained and have no more willpower, I just take a nap. A nap at home on the couch, a nap while riding inside an Uber, or I just lie in my bed, and put on an eyemask with some earplugs. I barbell my action and rest \u00e2\u20ac\u201d when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m intensely working on my creative projects, I down endless cups of black coffee, and when I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m resting, I totally tap out and pass out, and allow myself to rest and recover. <\/li>\n
      3. Do something greater than yourself<\/strong>: For me the source of my willpower comes from the belief that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m doing something that will benefit the greater good \u00e2\u20ac\u201d humanity as a whole. That I am helping my fellow humans (still alive) or can be of assistance to future generations. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re working on something bigger than yourself, ironically enough you feel less fear, and more purpose in life. Perhaps this is why a lot of martyrs who die for a certain cause don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t actually feel that much fear before they die. <\/li>\n
      4. Ketogenic diet<\/a><\/strong>: After I have a carb heavy meal, or consume sugar, starch, high fructose corn syrup, etc, I get exhausted and get the infamous \u00e2\u20ac\u0153food coma\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. Sticking to a ketogenic diet (no carbs, starch, or sugars) and eating only fatty meats and leafy greens, my \u00e2\u20ac\u0153fasting blood level\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is more steady \u00e2\u20ac\u201d I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get crashes from exhaustion after a meal. Less food coma during the day means more productive energy for me to make stuff that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m passionate about, and what I find meaningful. <\/li>\n
      5. Memento mori<\/a><\/strong>: If you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re gonna die tonight in your sleep, what meaningful work will you create today?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        BE BRAZEN<\/a>, BOLD, AND DO AND MAKE EPIC SHIT!
        \nERIC<\/p>\n

        Empower yourself with ZEN OF ERIC ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Will power: the power of our will to enact change which we desire to see in reality \/ the power to create things we desire to create! #entrepeneurship<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103408,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ek_photo_artist_note":"","_ek_photo_thesis":"","_ek_photo_camera":"","_ek_photo_place":"","_ek_photo_human_moment":"","_ek_photo_sequence":"","_ek_photo_question":"","_ek_photo_canonical_claim":"","_ek_photo_ai_summary":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/B6C5B1FD-DBB0-4F20-A854-CC8667E729E9-scaled.jpeg?fit=4928%2C3264&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103928"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103928\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103935,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103928\/revisions\/103935"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103928"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}