Everyone wants to change something about themselves. It may be something small or maybe something big. It could be to…

• lose weight
• dress nicer
• read your Bible more
• exercise
• stop an addiction
• forgive easier
• be more outgoing

The list goes on and on. All of us desire to be better. This is ok. We were created to be the best we can be for God. We were not designed to settle for average, we were created by a great God in His image. This means we were created for greatness. But the question is not do we want to change…the question is…do we have the willpower to change? Ouch! It’s not a lack of desire all the time, it is a lack of willpower to do what it takes to change that makes the difference. Everyone wants to be better but few want to do what it takes to get better.

So how do we get the willpower to change?

1. Use Your Willpower

 Willpower is like a muscle; the more you use it the bigger it gets. In fact, Charles Duhigg (author of The Power of Habit) said, “As people strengthened their willpower muscles in one part of their lives—in the gym, or a money management program—that strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked. If you can borrow money from a friend or family member this may be a better alternative but if you exhausted all of your sources a payday loan maybe just what you need, Apply Now To Get It. Once willpower became stronger, it touched everything.” The more you use your willpower to change your outcome the more it will effect every area of your life for the good. But you will never develop a strong willpower to overcome bad habits unless you start using some willpower. You don’t have to start big, start small and work your way up. A friend of mine told me about a guy he was counseling that was very discouraged because he couldn’t stop smoking cigarettes. Come to find out he went from 3 packs a day to just a few a day, but he was still beating himself up for not being able to quit. 3 packs to 3 cigarettes a day is an amazing accomplishment that will eventually end up to no cigarettes at all.

If you wait to do something until you can do everything you won’t do anything! (you should tweet that, it was good!)

2. Get Help From Others

We were built for community. The more you surround yourself with support to help you the better it can be for you. If you want to build a better habit of eating ask your co-workers to hold you accountable when you go out to lunch. Build safe-guards in your life that will keep you from doing stupid stuff. Get help from reading books, searching blogs, or asking people who have successfully done what you want to do how to do it. Get ideas from others and get help from them. Don’t try to do everything on your own. Get a life coach, a health coach, a business coach…someone to help you get better.

3. Make A Plan

Most people don’t change anything in their life because they don’t have a plan to change. They desire to be different but never take the time to chart the course on how to get there. Most people spend more time planning their vacations and grocery lists than they do their lives. If you don’t have a plan you don’t know what you are doing. Plans give us purpose. They give us a map on how to navigate through the maze of change. If you have nothing to fall back on or a pre-determined course of action you will be subject to the winds of feelings rather than disciplines. Feelings can pull you backwards, but plans can push your forward. Chart a course on how you are going to change. Set out goals to get you stepping in the right direction. Plan out your week with the changes you want to make in mind. Get a plan and then work the plan with everything you got. I guarantee you can lose 2-3lbs a week (or more) if you busted your tail for just one week and gave it everything you had to eat right and exercise. Do that for 3 weeks and you’ll be down around 10lbs and feeling amazing about yourself…it’s not hard…but it does take willpower…so get going and JUST FINALLY DO IT!