Do you rely on willpower to achieve your goals or change habits? Willpower is often widely considered as the differentiator between those who succeed and those who do not. But is it a fair judgment?
When I ask people for words they associate with willpower, I hear words such as grit, stamina, the ability to stick it out or do something that you really don't want to do.
It is what we use to push through something hard or overcome resistance so we can achieve a virtuous outcome.
It takes willpower to not spend money when you want to. You need willpower to stay at home when friends are out socialising or not purchase something you want but do not need.
But what if your lack of willpower is telling you something about what you are pushing yourself to do? If you need a significant amount of willpower to push through, is it really the right thing for you?
Willpower and achieving goals go hand in hand. January is a notorious time for making lofty goals to change, including our money habits. And February is notorious for failing those goals.
Year after year, research tells us that few will achieve their New Year resolutions. Eighty per cent of New Year resolutions fail by February, according to US News and World Report. Only 8 per cent of people achieve their resolutions and 25 per cent give up after only a week, 2015 research from the University of Scranton reveals.
It could be a demotivating read to come across these statistics when your willpower is waning.
Financial goals should bring joy to our lives. Isn’t saving for an early retirement an exciting thing?
Carol Glynn,
founder, Conscious Finance Coaching
Many people also cite a lack of willpower as the cause of failure to achieve their financial goals.
Financial goals tend to be long-term, restrictive and are perceived to require major lifestyle cutbacks. I am told that to succeed, joy, fun and indulgence must be removed from our lives.
I disagree. Financial goals should bring joy to our lives. Isn’t saving for an early retirement an exciting thing? Isn’t paying down debt and having a date in sight for when you will be debt-free a joyous goal? How exciting it is to save to purchase your own home.
People who are most successful in achieving financial goals are those who set targets that are steeped in their values and meaningful to them. When you set goals that are underpinned by your values, do you need the same level of willpower to achieve them?
If your goals are what you actually want to achieve, not what you believe you should do based on what society tells you or what other people are doing, how hard is it to do the work required to achieve them?
Major change, even when steeped in our values, may still require an element of willpower. But I wonder if what gets us through is willpower? There is another way to approach this.
Common financial habits people want to change are impulse buying and mindless spending so they can instead save more or pay off debt. I hear how they lack the willpower to stop spending online when they feel sad or bored.
Willpower alone will not break the habit. It can be complex but for most, having a reason to break the habit plus a replacement habit they can action, which provides the same adrenalin hit, requires less willpower than simply not doing it.
Replace the pleasure you derive from shopping with something more financially positive. Instead of making the purchase, transfer the amount you were tempted to spend to your savings account or make a debt payment.
Take an alternative action that will make you feel good or proud. You may still have the adrenalin rush or sense of satisfaction but with added financial benefits.
Break down long-term financial goals into smaller milestones and celebrate achieving the milestones with rewards. If your goal has lost its lustre, switch things up.
Reset goals, realign them or add milestones to make them feel more achievable so that you can have fun along the way. Variety and flexibility are key to life and can keep you from burning out.
Find an accountability partner. Did you know that having an accountability appointment increases your chance of success to 95 per cent versus only a 10 per cent when you simply set a goal?
So, when you find yourself digging into willpower to power through your financial goals, ask yourself, what is this resistance telling me?
Carol Glynn is the founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh12 million
Engine 8.0-litre quad-turbo, W16
Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company%C2%A0profile
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Company%C2%A0profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MATCH INFO
UAE Division 1
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 12-24 Abu Dhabi Saracens
LIGUE 1 FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Nice v Angers (9pm)
Lille v Monaco (10.45pm)
Saturday
Montpellier v Paris Saint-Germain (7pm)
Bordeaux v Guingamp (10pm)
Caen v Amiens (10pm)
Lyon v Dijon (10pm)
Metz v Troyes (10pm)
Sunday
Saint-Etienne v Rennes (5pm)
Strasbourg v Nantes (7pm)
Marseille v Toulouse (11pm)
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
