Building Will Power and Grit

I sent my first 5.13 rock climb WHILE I was in grad school studying for my Doctorate and I got nearly straight A’s (I got one B+).

I worked 20+ hours per week at REI before and after classes, barely making over minimum wage and fully supported all my expenses outside tuition. ?

I bike commuted 30 miles a day to and from school and work to save money on gas, PLUS it was a great workout, so I killed two birds with one stone!

I used to bring flashcards to the gym and textbooks to the crag and studied between efforts.

I ate a lot of oats, potatoes, eggs, and cheaper cuts of meat and prioritized the best food I could afford on the budget with which I was working.

My point is that I had a lot of room to find excuses. We all do! ?And I’m not here to down play any of the challenges in your life. ?I know they are real. ?But I am here to encourage you to use them as fuel for growth rather that baggage that weighs you down. ?

There were PLENTY of mornings I did NOT want to ride out into the cold (sometimes snowy air), late nights after work I did NOT want to study, and tired days when I just wanted to pass by the gym without stopping but I never missed.

Today I want to talk to you about building WILL POWER, tenacity, grit, and persistence!

There is a super cool structure in your brain called the anterior mid-cingulate cortex, “aMCC”, which is largely responsible for tenacity and persistence in the face of challenge, traits which are highly correlated with “better academic achievement, career opportunities, and health outcomes.” This area of the brain is larger in athletes and people who have overcome significant challenges in life. ?It is particularly small in people with obesity and depression but it CAN grow! It grows when obese people lose weight, when people exercise regularly, and anytime one does something challenging that they DON’T want to do. What might be most interesting though is how thick and developed the aMCC is in “super-agers,” the longest living humans.

It is increasingly considered to be central to our will to live!

So, here’s the thing. ?If you’re struggling to find the will power to resist the cookie or lacking the motivation to get up in the morning and go to the gym, you CAN change this. ?You can build will power! ?When you feel the resistance to the activity you don’t want to do, and you do it anyways, it’s just like pushing out one more rep in the gym to grow your biceps. ?It’s growing the aMCC, your will power, tenacity, and persistence not only for the specific task but ultimately for LIFE.

Now, if you LIKE lifting heavy but hate cardio… the heavy lifts won’t grow your aMCC but the cardio will. ?If you love the sauna but hate that cold shower, guess what? ?It’s the shower that’s building your will power and grit.

Does this mean you have go through life constantly fighting to do what you don’t want to do in order to live a long time?

Of course not. ?

But pushing through the resistance of difficult tasks that lead to long term growth, strengthening your mind and body in the moment, ALSO builds will power for the future. ?Each time you push through that resistance, imagine flexing your aMCC, just like you would your bicep and watch your tenacity for life grow. ?

This year, embrace the challenges in your life. ?Embrace the effort to achieve the goals you set out for yourself. ?Don’t let the obstacles of life weigh you down but rather use them as fuel to propel your success.

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If you’re ready for more personalized approach to meeting your goals and accountability to make it stick, BOOK A FREE DISCOVERY CALL to get started leaning out, toning up, and feeling the best you’ve felt in years. ?While I will absolutely help you figure out the nutritional strategy that is best for you and guide you through your exercise routines, this coaching program goes far beyond food and fitness with empowering mindset skills you won’t find elsewhere. ?Let’s talk and see if this program is right for you!