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and motivation that I’ll ever have. In short, by denying
its existence, I’m shutting my spirit down.
Many people think of willpower and self-discipline
as something akin to self-punishment. By giving it that
negative connotation, they never get enthused about de-
veloping it. But author William Bennett gives us a dif-
ferent way to think of it. Self-discipline, he notes in The
Book of Virtues, comes from the word “disciple.” When
you are self-disciplined, you have simply decided—in
matters of the will—to become your own disciple.
Once you make that decision, your life’s adventure
gets more interesting. You start to see yourself as a
stronger person. You gain self-respect.
American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson used
to talk about the Sandwich Island warriors who believed
that when they killed an enemy tribesman, the courage
of that dead enemy passed into the warrior’s living body.
Emerson said that the same thing happens to us when
we say no to a temptation. The power of that dead temp-
tation passes into us. It strengthens our will.
When we resist a small temptation, we take on a
small power. When we resist a huge temptation, we take
on huge power.
William James recommended that we do at least two
things every day that we don’t want to do—for the very
reason that we don’t want to do them—just to keep will-
power alive. By doing this, we maintain our awareness
of our own will.
33. Turn into a word processor
If you associate the word “willpower” with negative
things, such as harsh self-denial and punishment, you will