Einstein once said: From the perspective of a physicist, the existence of a magnetic field is as real as the chair he sits on. Let me paraphrase it: For a will master, willpower is like the chopsticks in the hand and the food in the bowl.
There is no need to elaborate on how important willpower is to a person's learning and growth, and how important it is in promoting work and career progress. But the problem is that willpower is like an invisible magnetic field. Although it exists objectively and plays a role, most people can't see it, can't touch it, and can't use it well. Most people often say they can't do it when faced with difficulties and persistence, so willpower becomes the underlying logical ability to change a person.
And Zhihu Comrade Gao Taiye, a big V, used his embroidery skills and the spirit of hard work to write the book "The Willpower Dividend: The underlying logic that makes you do what you say". Through the first part "The Logic of Improving Willpower" and the second part "The Logic of Willpower Masters", Mr. Gao analyzed "willpower" in a simple and profound way like peeling an onion. The explanations are clear at a glance, and each chapter has tools that can be used. Can be used.
First, what does willpower actually look like? The author depicts it vividly.
He cited classics and made it clear about the form of willpower starting from three processes: cognitive process of psychological activities, emotional process, and will process (referred to as knowledge, emotion, and intention). The author believes that willpower refers to a person's quality in handling volitional processes, and reflects a person's psychological ability to actively control behavior. Please pay attention to two core words: processing will and active control. "Will" is a simple word, but behind it is the complex entanglement and interweaving of people's inner psychology, cognition, emotions and external environment, habits, occupation and other factors. Dealing with will is to straighten out the methods that are suitable for daily use among these complex clues.
These five elements are divided into two categories: consciously establishing goals and resolutely achieving goals. It can be concluded that improving will can be decomposed into 2 processes and 2 abilities:
How to consciously establish goals - the preparation stage of will
How to achieve the goal resolutely - the execution stage of will
In "Willpower Dividends Let You In the first part of "The Underlying Logic of Doing What You Say", the author peels apart the psychological mechanism of willpower like a bamboo shoot, and breaks it into pieces for you to see clearly. The process and ability of psychology to actively control behavior are presented in an analytical manner. This clearly explains the elements and process of willpower.
Secondly, why is it difficult to form willpower? The author's analysis is profound and thorough.
In a nutshell: it involves the three major areas of cognition, emotion and will, and requires the use of numerous psychology and complex brain science knowledge. It is a test of a person's comprehensive quality and action ability in these aspects. All things considered. This is indeed difficult.
Teacher Gao’s approach is to explain the principles clearly and transparently, and explain the methods in a comprehensive and detailed manner. He first explains how to do it, then why he does it, and finally gives examples. This logical arrangement conforms to popular habits.
In the preparation stage of will, the author explains the "golden thinking circle and WOOP model" from four levels: "consciously establishing the logic of goals, how to clarify goals, how to be motivated towards goals, and how to systematically plan goals" , target life cycle management” and other practical tools.
These are the basic tasks of will. It is a pity that many people do not pay attention to the basics, or do not pay attention to the basics, and do not know how to do basic work well, and the basics often have long-term effects.
In the execution stage of will, Teacher Gao equipped everyone with the "1322" toolbox. 1, it is willpower notes; 3, it is the triple brain theory; the first 2, it is the two methods to get out of emotional distress; the first 2, it is the two tools to continue to advance the goal. The basic principles of the toolbox come from the latest results of psychological research at home and abroad.As for its practicality and replicability, there are the author’s application experience and the application experience of students in the willpower training camp. Interested readers can try it.
Finally, how to turn willpower into character? The author provides a path for improvement.
If we compare willpower to a high-performance engine in a car, then the goal is the steering wheel. Reaching a state of no willpower in daily work and life is like a car's automatic cruise and automatic driving state. Long-lasting willpower comes from the top-level guidance and inner stimulation of outlook on life, values, and worldview. The "24-hour life" model, values sorting, finding life goals in 10 minutes, the logic of creating a habit framework, and the power of core habits, etc. These are upgraded versions of your willpower toolbox and refueling stations to upgrade your willpower.
Take sorting out values as an example. We need to clarify values from the bottom up, and then sort out the values from the top down. This is not a word game, but based on reality and the needs of self-development and change. Let me ask you, can you clearly state your values? How do you act, persist, and work hard on your values?
Of course, Teacher Gao is not a short-term theorist or a chicken soup blender. Through his own training and practice, he forms a community, leads students, iteratively upgrades, and relentlessly advances on the track of controlling willpower.
The dilution and blurring of values, as well as following the crowd, are the biggest obstacles in the execution of will. When you suddenly find that what you are pursuing and obtaining is not what you really want, you will fall into confusion again and again. And these are like invisible "glass covers" that hinder our progress.
