This week I got to attend a live webinar with Robin Sharma. If you don’t know who he is you should check him out. He is among the best of the best in the fields of personal development and leadership. The main reason I like him is because he has the most incredible positive energy. I know that, no matter what space I’m in, if I listen to him, I will get energized. So when he said he was doing a webinar on willpower I signed up.

I’m fascinated by the human brain and am particularly interested in neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change it’s structure and function through thought and activity). I’m currently reading Norman Doidge’s The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in the subject. I love the idea that we can intentionally change negative thought patterns and I want to learn from a scientific perspective how it works and how it’s done. I figure I have millions of thoughts but just one brain, so if I want to make a change why not go to the source? 

So you can imagine my delight when Robin started talking about neuroplasticity and how it pertained to developing willpower. In his assessment, we can develop our willpower by developing our pre-frontal cortex. The pre-frontal cortex is the part of our brain that among many other things controls our ability to work towards a defined goal. Robin asserts that science has shown we can develop this area of our brain and thus increase our willpower through three simple activities: meditation, exercise, and sleep.

I had to laugh at myself because yesterday I meditated and exercised, both of which I have commitments to do in my accountability group. But I was up until midnight working on my kids Valentine’s and I thought how funny it is that I can have all this great information about what’s not only good for me but also relevant to what I’m seeking to learn about, and still not do it. So next week, I’ll be back to adding in a bedtime, because for me, sleep is still the area that needs the most work, and I need help making it a priority. I’m so thankful for the new perspective and for the awesome ladies that keep me focused on what’s important.

I hope you’ll check out his video, it’s full of great information that I’m sure will serve and energize you.