Hello beautiful souls,
It all starts in the mind. There is a constant conversation in your head between your survival mind (the ego) and your Spirit (YOU). In this article I will talk about your willpower and how to use it to effectively to deny your egoic mind that is constantly in fight or flight. You are powerful, it is time to start using your willpower.
Will·pow·er
/ˈwilˌpouər/
noun: willpower; noun: will power
control exerted to do something or restrain impulses.
“most of our bad habits are due to laziness or lack of willpower”
Connected to wisdom, truth, and love
E·go
/ˈēɡō/
noun: ego; plural noun: egos
a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.
“a boost to my ego”
Connected to impulsiveness, panic, emergencies, and falseness
Willpower is your Spirit
Your willpower is your Spirit. It is your connection to God and thus your higher self. It is you, the “I AM” who knows we are all connected and we are all fractions of light of God. This is the You that is the conscious observer, the one who decides how to act. When you decide to act with love for yourself even though it might be the “tough” option, you are choosing the path that allows you to grow, you are being your higher self in the now. This means denying the urges that tell you the life you want is too hard or that you are unworthy of it. You allow God to lead you through free will:
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your gracious Spirit lead me forward on a firm footing.”
Psalms 143:10
Ego is the mind
The ego is the “I” in your head. The one that thinks small and lives in fear. The one who is overly concerned about themself and shoots thoughts a mile a minute. Your ego keeps you small because it is trying to protect you. It uses all your energy to worry. It is an energy drainer, but it is not “bad”. It is important to listen to your ego when it tells you to eat, when to use the restroom, when something hurts, etc. Essentially, we need the ego for all of the bodidly functions required to live, but do not listen to it when it is fearful for fear is not real. Your ego does not know faith. It does not know we are part of the whole. That we are all one.
4 ways to connect to your willpower
You must know the mind/ego has an incredible power over the body, that is why it is important to be the conscious observer and connect to your willpower especially when it seems “hard”. The ego can make the body extremely tired to avoid the task at hand that will bring freedom and growth. Here are 4 ways to connect to your willpower and be the Spirit/higher self/conscious observer you came here to be:
- Set an intention
Whenever you move, direct your mind to WHY. Intentions are aims or goals that you set out to accomplish. This gives your mind the direction it needs. This can look like setting an intention of freedom with every movement. For example, at the start of your day you set the intention to be free and act in love. If you want to go for a run later that day, but are not really feeling like it. You connect back to your intention and remind myself WHY you are being.
You know you feel free and amazing after you run, so you notice your mind telling you otherwise. Now you’re able to see that the mind is lying to you and you use your willpower to act with love for yourself and go for that run. You are able to connect to freedom by breaking past limiting beliefs. I like to remind myself, time will always pass; what will I do with it? Will you use it to make yourself better or stay stagnant?
- Observe your thoughts and ask yourself if they are true
Be observant of your thoughts throughout the day and see where your impulses come up that deter you from your goal. This is the ego trying to take you away from the present by throwing fake emergencies your way. Ask yourself if the urgency is real. Know and trust that you can handle anything that comes your way. Ask yourself if this thought is true? Is it urgent? Remind yourself you can do it! You are stronger than this urge to quit.
Talk yourself through the fear, if one of the thoughts from the ego triggers your flight or fright. Make an action plan to avoid your fear and safety nets if your fear does come true. For example, if you are scared you won’t be able to pay your rent. Can you pick up a part time job? Or is there a family member or friend you can ask to borrow money? Remind yourself how resourceful you are. There is no real danger. You will be ok, you always figure it out and it all works out in the end.
- Breathe deeply
Breathing is essential to being in alignment with your body, mind, and spirit. Many religions and science point to the importance of connecting to your breath. Breathing slows the amygdala and connects you to the prefrontal cortex. When you feel like you are loosing focus on your intention because of the intrusive thoughts connect back to your breath.
Take 10 (or more if you need) deep breaths counting in for 5 and out for 7 counts. Essentially it slows down your panic and connects you to the present moment. By breathing you are telling your body it is safe and calming your nervous system.
Beyond the body and into the Spirit
Our breath is our connection to God and thus our willpower. God gave us the prefrontal cortex to connect us to our willpower. When we breathe we connect back to the observer and step out of fear (and emotions) that the body/ego mind constructed. Through our breath we see that we are stronger than our fear and emotions of this world. The Spirit God gave us is greater than the Spirit of this world. In the Bible God gave us life by breathing which is how we access our Spirit:
“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”
Genesis 2:7-9
“The Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world”
1 John 4:4
- Come back to the present moment.
Resist impulses that deter you from your task at hand and thus the present moment. Notice the impulses to be elsewhere and bring your attention back to what you are doing. Say I am (insert what you are doing). This helps bring the mind back to the present moment. If it really is urgent write it down and tell yourself you will come back to it when you are done with what you are doing. Repeat this until it becomes natural. This helps train your ego to know it is not running the show, you are.
Alignment with Mind Body and Spirit
When you connect to your willpower you move from your HEAD to your HEART. This connects you back to your Spirit and God, allowing you to act in alignment with your greatest good despite how “hard” it might seem. You start to see challenges as opportunities to grow. Being in your heart reminds you life is beautiful and you are part of something greater and that you are worth the work. It connects you to co-creation and you move from a victim mentality to being the creator of your reality. We all have negative thoughts but You decide if you listen to them or not.
I can’t wait to see the best You that blossoms when you act on your willpower.
I love you, you got this!
Keep shining and love you always,
Jessica
