The Willpower Podcast

William Mulvaney
  • 5.0 (7)
  • Self-Improvement
  • Weekly

I'm here to help you do hard things like you love them. Most of us get a sick feeling in our stomach when we think about willpower. We think about stress, friction, struggle. I'm not convinced that it has to be this way. Willpower, in my eyes, is my ability to do the actions that move me closer to the life I want. That's what I've dedicated my work towards: how to consistently do those actions myself, and share the lessons I've learned. Each week, I'll explore one aspect of willpower that can have a disproportionate impact on your life. Come along for the journey!

  1. 6d ago

    #125 — Disciplined people aren’t denying themselves anything

    FREE LIVE WORKSHOP: Dopamine by Design, Saturday, November 7, 1:00 pm CT. Save your spot at williammulvaney.com/workshop This episode we are talking about how we often look at people with self-control as people who deny themselves pleasure. We imagine them being unhappy. Today we're flipping the script: why people with self-control are actually happier, and why we give in to things like late-night snacking even when we know better. We go through a 2014 study of 500+ adults that measured self-control, happiness and regulatory focus (promotion vs prevention), and what it tells us about the pizza I ate before lying awake at 5 am. Plus three clear ways to build more self-control, and this week's one action. Mentioned: - Cheung, Gillebaart, Kroese & De Ridder (2014), "Why are people with high self-control happier? The effect of trait self-control on happiness as mediated by regulatory focus," Frontiers in Psychology: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00722/full - Shaan Puri on X, "Pessimists get to be right, Optimists get to be rich": https://x.com/ShaanVP/status/1707486503251951932 - Last week's episode on meditation: https://youtu.be/Ifz_d5mQ7M4 Chapters: 00:00 Are disciplined people unhappy? 00:29 Awake at 5 am 01:53 The study 02:52 The two modes your mind runs in 04:32 Pessimists vs optimists 05:57 Which side self-control puts you on 07:42 What the pizza was really about 10:14 The free workshop 10:37 Why disciplined people don't feel deprived 12:14 Three ways to build self-control 15:24 This week's action 18:02 About the show #selfcontrol #discipline #happiness #willpower #anxiety

  2. Oct 21

    #124 — I Did a 10-Day Silent Retreat. Here’s What Science Says About Meditation

    Does meditation actually work, or is it a waste of time? Some people call it the salvation of their lives. Today we look at the science. We go through a Harvard study where eight weeks of mindfulness training changed how the brain decides whether a fear is still real, and a second study on what meditation does to your motivation (spoiler: it doesn't kill your drive, it changes what you're driving toward). Plus this week's action: 5 to 10 minutes of mindfulness meditation, 5 of the next 7 days. Coaching: if you want help building the life you actually want, check out williammulvaney.com/coaching Chapters: 00:00 Does meditation actually work? 00:59 How I got into meditation 02:38 Two kinds of meditation 04:06 My 10-day silent retreat 04:31 Three levels of benefit 06:47 Why this is a willpower topic 07:32 Fear stops us in our tracks 08:12 Motivation and the boring part 09:41 The Harvard fear study 11:14 What people reported 11:56 How your brain stores fear 13:51 What changes after 8 weeks 15:18 Triggers 16:04 What this means for willpower 19:07 The motivation study 20:38 What you chase vs what you want 22:42 This week's action 25:02 Wrap up Studies mentioned: Sevinc et al. (2019), "Strengthened Hippocampal Circuits Underlie Enhanced Retrieval of Extinguished Fear Memories Following Mindfulness Training," Biological Psychiatry: https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(19)31407-6/fulltext "Mindfully motivated: Can a brief session of mindfulness meditation enhance motivation toward personal goals?" European Journal of Social Psychology: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.2770 Waking Up app (Sam Harris), free 30-day intro course

  3. Oct 14

    #123 — Science Says Your Gratitude List Is Wasting Your Time

    Welcome back! This week we're talking about gratitude journaling, and the science backing (and not backing) the practice. Details on working with me: williammulvaney.com/group 00:00 Does gratitude journaling do anything? 00:48 Why journaling splits people 02:22 How gratitude ties into willpower 03:35 Does satisfaction kill motivation? 04:12 The 2017 study on life satisfaction 06:13 Satisfied and still growing 07:31 The trap of always being dissatisfied 08:44 Gratitude journaling: not so fast 09:01 Once a week beat three times a week 10:09 Why my gratitude lists went stale 11:07 A 2023 study: letters vs lists 12:03 The results 13:14 Do it differently, not less 13:38 This week's action 15:00 Recap 16:33 Make it real

  4. Oct 7

    #122 — Stop Quitting with this Ancient Japanese Concept

    Welcome back to the show! This week we're exploring a science-backed Japanese concept that I am currently applying to my pursuits in stand-up comedy. Check out the willpower group: williammulvaney.com/group 00:00 Does failure stop you? 00:47 Why we treat failure as bad 01:54 The quit reflex 02:24 The open mic that went wrong 05:09 Why this is a willpower problem 06:08 The same pattern in dating 08:18 A study from Japan and Canada 10:54 The twist in the experiment 11:41 The results flipped 12:39 The perfectionist trap 13:22 Kaizen: failure as an attraction 14:43 Back to the mic 16:02 One date vs fifty 16:38 This week's action 17:21 The nightly review 19:26 Recap 20:53 Make it real

  5. Sep 30

    #121 — 28 minutes to build a gym routine that finally sticks

    Welcome back! This week we’re focusing in on one of the areas people often associate with willpower: health and fitness. However, we are approaching it in a different way, by asking the question “What actually sticks?”. I created a free guide to go along with this video, get yours here: williammulvaney.com/fitness-blueprint  Learn about coaching: williammulvaney.com/group Try the free habit board: board.williammulvaney.com    Chapters: 00:00 Why your gym routine never sticks 01:40 The fix: fast feedback loops 02:20 Willpower is also know-how 03:31 Step 1: Your real reason for training 04:34 Step 2: Rank your 4 outcomes 06:19 Step 3: Set a milestone 07:20 Milestones for building muscle 09:16 Milestones for functional strength 10:36 Milestones for losing fat 11:35 Milestones for cardio health 13:22 Step 4: Tactics 13:49 Building muscle: hypertrophy basics 16:20 Building strength (and staying safe) 18:02 Losing fat: calories in, calories out 19:02 Why fat loss plateaus 20:38 Cardio: heart rate zones 1 to 5 24:53 Recap 25:15 Daily action: 10 minutes of training 25:59 Say the commitment out loud 27:27 Wrap up

  6. Sep 23

    #120 — Produce like the greats, starting with 10 minutes today

    Welcome back to the show! This week I have broken down a super simple habit that many greats have applied to their work, along with science to explain why it works. To learn about the coaching group: williammulvaney.com/group To join the (free) habit board: board.williammulvaney.com Chapters: 0:00 Brain fog 1:10 Join the group 1:45 Hitting creative exhaustion 3:33 Why this is about willlpower 4:30 What causes this 5:26 William James on energy 7:30 Why couch laying doesn’t work 9:00 Walking without awareness 11:30 Einstein’s routine 12:27 Creative output while walking 15:30 Steve Jobs 16:25 Aristotle 16:55 Nietzsche 17:40 Our daily action 19:07 Nature and creativity 20:05 Commitment

  7. Sep 16

    #119 — Cure your financial stress BEFORE you get rich (do this now)

    Welcome back to the show! This week we are talking personal finance, an area that a ton of us are leaking willpower. Listen through for a super simple way to fight your way back. Learn more about coaching: williammulvaney.com/book Join the board: board.williammulvaney.com Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:35 Why personal finance? 2:37 Two levels to financial willpower 4:10 Edward Jones Research 5:07 What median net worth tells us 6:43 My financial story 10:32 Split your direct deposits 11:36 Roommates 12:16 The getting rich myth 14:10 3 small changes for financial confidence 20:15 Emergency fund hack 21:00 The addictive loop 23:45 Summary up until now 24:40 Action for the week 26:00 rules of the show 27:22 Make your commitment

  8. Sep 9

    #118 — The secret to “personal growth” in 2026

    Welcome back! This week we are talking about Personal Growth, and the mass deception we've all been tricked into. By the end of the episode, you will have a clear framework for achieving true "Personal Growth". If you are interested in my coaching, book an intro call today: https://cal.com/william-mulvaney-s0q4fq/introwithwill3 Check out the free habit board: https://board.williammulvaney.com Chapters0:00 Intro1:00 Personal Growth doesn't always work1:43 Discipline2:35 Work with me (free right now!)3:15 Goggins5:12 Self set study goals10:11 Back to Goggins12:40 How to set goals in-line with your visions14:30 Our weekly action17:00 tie-in to Willpower18:15 rules of the show

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

I'm here to help you do hard things like you love them. Most of us get a sick feeling in our stomach when we think about willpower. We think about stress, friction, struggle. I'm not convinced that it has to be this way. Willpower, in my eyes, is my ability to do the actions that move me closer to the life I want. That's what I've dedicated my work towards: how to consistently do those actions myself, and share the lessons I've learned. Each week, I'll explore one aspect of willpower that can have a disproportionate impact on your life. Come along for the journey!

Information

  • Creator
    William Mulvaney
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © William Mulvaney
  • Show Website
    The Willpower Podcast