To understand why will power is not the most effective way to get to do things or to change habits, it is important to know a bit about how our minds are organized. Although science has yet to find an Outer (Conscious) Mind and an Inner (Sub or Unconscious) Mind, it is a useful way to describe the functioning of our minds. As I see it, the outer mind’s major functions are to be mindful of real time happenings of the person, such as what is going on right now, what the next appointment is and what time is it. It also functions as a critic and the guardian of the inner mind and of the status quo. As you will see, these last two functions are what keep most of us stuck.

The inner mind is where all our automatic programming resides. Anything the inner mind recognizes as being normal and natural (the way we have always done it) it will do and direct the person to do, forever!. This is why habits are so difficult to change. Once they are locked into the inner mind’s standard operating system, they will continue to operate until the inner mind adopts a new way of doing things. The way it understands that there is a new operating system is only after at least a month of the person acting (or thinking) in a new and different way.

There is a problem, though. To get to act or think differently means that the person has to consciously override the inner minds programming. Before it can even get to that inner programming, it needs to get through the guardian functions of the outer mind which will do everything in its power to maintain the inner mind’s programming and to resist change. This conscious effort is what is normally labeled as will power and as you can see, its chances of succeeding are slim.

There is a better way to achieve the same goal of changing inner mind programming. The easiest and most available one is through hypnosis or self-hypnosis. All hypnosis really is, is a method of inviting the outer mind, the guardian of the inner mind, to temporarily drift off and take a vacation. When it does that, the inner mind will be accessible for positive suggestions that can directly change inner programming that is no longer useful or is downright destructive to the person’s being. It will also be open to quickly adopt any new programming that will instill new positive habits.

Once the inner mind understands that these new ideas and ways of doing things are the way it is, it will do them automatically and with zero need for will power.