This is dedicated to those who have used up their will power adulting.

What is adulting?  It is being responsible for all things adult related:  bills, work, errands, children, shelter, etc.

Will Power Usage

I have spent years willing myself through the day.  I have willed myself through

• pregnancy, child-birth, and child rearing.
• 2 divorces.
• times of stupidity.
• behavior modifications (I no longer yell, and my swearing has become almost non-existent).
• my paralegal studies program to complete an AAS in 26 months with a 3.93 GPA.
• 10 years of employment.

I am currently willing myself

• into fiscal responsibility every month.
• through entrepreneurship to build a business that will support my family.

I have willed myself right into a power outage.

Accomplishments

I have gained many wonderful things through this investment of will power.

• I’m a better me.
• My health is better.
• I have a good relationship with my children.
• My parents are proud of me.
• I can survive on very little money.
• My life is filled with joy, family, and friends.

So, what’s the problem?

Fill the Bucket

By investing all this will power you would think I would have more.  So did I.  I had to ask myself, “Where did it go?”

Then I remembered a very important rule of investing.  You have to allow your investment time to grow before you can get anything out of it.  I invested all that will power without giving it time to grow.

Time must be spent on a regular basis replenishing your power source.  So how do you replenish your power source?  This is what works for me:

• Prayer and meditation
• Read more of God’s word
• Playing and listening to music
• Crocheting
• Sewing
• Time with my family
• Brain candy (books for fun)
• Contemplating the beauty of God’s creations
• Make my nutritional needs a priority
• Get out and enjoy the sunshine

Life Happens

Sometimes several times a day.  The little stresses and frustrations actually drain more will power than life events.  Why?  Because life is constantly happening.

• I have tried for years to lose weight. I discovered that when I’m hungry, I don’t want to spend the energy to make something healthy.  I eat whatever is at hand: apple fritters, cookies, muffins, a piece of lunch meet, a bowl of cereal, a piece of cheese, yogurt, etc.
• Laundry is forever multiplying in the laundry basket like tribbles.
• Everyone wants to eat so there is always food that needs to be prepared and dishes to be done.
• Phones, keys, shoes, and socks are forever wandering off and getting lost.
• Children need my attention no matter what their age.
• Errands will not do themselves.
• Money does not grow on trees.

So now what?  I’m not the Energizer Bunny.  I have limited resources.

I’ve decided to rewire my power source.  It has been unevenly divided between events and activities.

Life Events

Life events have taken the lion’s share of my will power for decades.  I have exhausted myself daily investing time and energy into:

• Helping to care for my grandmother.
• My grandmother’s death.
• Helping care for my aging parents.
• My father’s death.
• Marriages and divorces in the family.
• Births of children and grandchildren.
• Moving 20 times.

I have had a break in life events for a couple of years now and it has been great.  I have been able to take the time to rest and recharge.

Activity

In the last few decades I have had no will power left to actively participate in my own life.  I am now going to bequeath the majority of my will power to this activity.

I am giving myself permission to decide:

• what I want,
• how I want it
• when I want it

I am also giving myself permission to have what I want.

It is time to take my own advice:

1. Cause a little trouble.
2. Have a lot of fun.
3. Laugh until it hurts.

You should too.