Boost Your Willpower
by Brenda Novak

Spring is on its way and with it warmer weather. When those layers come off, we’re faced with the pounds we’ve gained over the winter, which prompts many of us to attempt a “just in time for summer” diet. But chocolate cake is now and summer is later and far too often "now" wins over "later." Or…we’ve always dreamed of completing a manuscript, but instead of sitting at the computer and pushing through to “The End,” we allow an email addiction to thwart us. Or…we’ve heard about the health benefits of regular daily exercise but we procrastinate each day and never get around to engaging in it.

How do we conjure enough willpower to overcome these and other self-defeating behaviors?

I don’t have all the answers, but I did run across an interesting article on this subject written by Tara Parker Pope in The New York Times. Her tips, combined with my own experience, form the following five-step plan:

1. Eat several small meals a day.
Studies show that lower blood glucose levels coincide with less willpower. Keeping your blood glucose up helps you have more self-control. According to Pope, researchers have found that test subjects “who drink sugar-sweetened lemonade, which raises glucose levels quickly, perform better on self-control tests than those who drink artificially-sweetened beverages, which have no effect on glucose.” Being the mother of a diabetic child, I’ve seen the glucose phenomenon work on an exaggerated scale. When my son goes “low,” he has much more trouble controlling his emotions. Although he’s a child who is normally very well-adjusted and happy, he will suddenly burst into tears for very little reason. Restore his blood glucose levels, and he’s fine--perfectly capable of restraining himself. I’m not proposing we all drink more soda and get fat while trying to boost our self-control enough to diet. LOL Instead, as most dieticians suggest, we need to eat several small, healthy meals each day.

2. Keep long-term goals in mind.
The ability to delay gratification grows with maturity. I remember learning that in a psychology class, but even for adults delaying gratification can be difficult. How do you forgo the dessert you’re craving now for a reward (getting slimmer) that happens so gradually and over time? According to Kathleen Vohs, one expert quoted in Ms. Pope’s article, you “conjure up powerful memories of the things you value in life.” To me, this says that you look at the big picture. Ask yourself, “Do I want this piece of cake more than I want to look good this summer?” Often putting it in perspective—picturing yourself looking slim and attractive in those summer months—will make the temptation less appealing.

3. Practice.
Use your willpower in order to strengthen it. Working out every day is not an easy thing to do. If you don’t prioritize, other activities will invariably get in the way. Not only that but after a few minutes of pushing yourself physically your body starts screaming, “Stop! I’m tired.” After exercising religiously for 65 minutes a day, five times a week, for seventeen years, however, I can promise you exercise becomes routine, if not easy. It’s the practice of overcoming myself each day that has made it so much less of an ordeal. And flexing my willpower in this regard has boosted my self-control in other areas. It gives me a "reservoir of strength" to draw from.

4. Start small.
This was the part of Pope’s article I found especially interesting. She says, “A vow to stop swearing, to make the bed every day or to give up just one food may be a way to strengthen your self-control, giving you more willpower reserves for bigger challenges later.” This is what I was saying about exercise. You can carry the willpower you develop in one area over to other areas, making it easier for you to hit your goals there, too.

5. Focus on one or two behaviors at a time.
Instead of trying to change a million different behaviors at once, which is a sure way to fail, at which point you get discouraged (hardly conducive to boosting your willpower), concentrate on the biggest thing you’d like to change in your life. Once you’ve modified your behavior, and turned that behavior into a habit, focus on another goal and then another.

I know, it’s easy to make suggestions and much harder to live by them. It’s not quite as simple as the above may sound. As long as you’re living and breathing, there will be things you wish you were doing that you’re not (or vice versa), but I do believe these tips help. If you have any others to add to the list, let me know!



Awards & Reviews


DEAD RIGHT, DEAD GIVEAWAY and COULDA BEEN A COWBOY are all finalists in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence.

DEAD GIVEAWAY is a finalist in the Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence.

DEAD SILENCE and DEAD GIVEAWAY have finaled in the Wisconsin WRITE TOUCH Reader's Award.

TRUST ME is getting some great advance reviews, including 4.5 stars and a TOP PICK from RT Book Review Magazine. Other reviews include:

"The author did an outstanding job in showing how Burke's conviction affected his family, especially his wife, Jane. I could easily understand Jane's belief of Burke's innocence, her devastation at how neighbors and friends treated her once Burke was imprisoned, how her life drastically changed forever, and her confusion about Burke finally being released from prison. No one can send chills down my spine as Brenda Novak can! ****
~ Detra Fitch, Huntress Reviews

TRUST ME is the first book in Brenda Novak's new series and it is obvious her storytelling talents continue to grow… This book is downright creepy at times, while at other moments, it is romantic and sensual... Violence, love, and trust emerge as strong themes in Ms. Novak's new romantic suspense story. Brenda Novak is one of the most interesting, and chilling, voices in romantic suspense writing today.
~Sarah W at Romance Junkies

"...this thriller kept me up all night. Taut and tense. A real mind teaser…What a tale."
--Munchkin Books, Swanton, OH

Don't forget the upcoming release Dates:

TRUST ME, May 27, 2008 | First Chapter
STOP ME, June 24, 2008 | First Chapter
WATCH ME, July 29,2008 | First Chapter

Until next time,

Brenda Novak

How? Simply buy TRUST ME the first week it comes out (May 27th to June 3rd) anywhere books are sold and send me the receipt:

Brenda Novak
P.O. Box 3781
Citrus Heights, CA 95611

You'll receive an autographed bookplate, an autographed bookmark, three coupons worth $1.00 each (one for STOP ME, one for WATCH ME, and one you can share with a friend.) And your name will be placed in a special drawing for a Mystery Box of my Favorite Things. You'll also be eligible for other perks as we go along.

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