In her book The Willpower Instinct, Kelly McGonigal describes three aspects of willpower: willpower, won'tpower, and wantpower. Willpower involves motivation to DO something, such as get off the couch and exercise. Won'tpower is the motivation to NOT DO something, such as not having another drink or a cookie. Wantpower is the motivation to move toward long term goals. I like McGonigal's threefold view of willpower because it seems that the strategies needed to motivate myself are totally different depending on whether I'm trying to resist ice cream, get on a treadmill, or develop a long term savings plan.
Early in the book, McGonigal describes research relating willpower and meditation. Studies show that even relatively new meditators gain measurable improvements in attention, self control, self awareness, and even increased gray matter in areas of the brain related to self awareness and self control. Why? McGonigal thinks it is because meditation exercises both willpower and won'tpower.
She describes what happens if you sit cross legged and try to focus on your breathing. Your mind wanders, and you bring it back to the breath. Wanders again and again and again, dozens of times in a 20 minute session. Each time you notice this, you redirect your attention to your breath. You have now exercised willpower several dozen times in 20 minutes. Being "bad" at meditation might even make it a more effective practice for building willpower. Meditation also builds won'tpower. This doesn't work as well if you try to meditate in an Easy Boy recliner. But if you try to sit still, cross legged, back straight, and head held high, you will probably feel many urges to scratch, fidget, stiffen up, or slouch. If you resist all these urges and maintain a relaxed, erect posture, the you exercise your won'tpower.
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