A spy’s most important muscle

Build this to master your reality [Image](https://) Greetings Everyday Spy, You don’t know this, but I write to you every day. Sometimes I write before the sun comes up. Other times I write after my wife and kids have gone to bed. Right now, I'm writing to you as I'm in the middle of moving my family to Colorado. I write to you because I think it's really important to share what I know. Case in point: In life, the most important things are also the hardest to do. And just like in our daily lives, secret missions don't have much room for making things easy. Being safe, doing things at the right time, and getting everyone to work together are crucial. This means that things happen when they need to, not when it's comfortable or easy. Here's a perfect example: One time in 2012, I had to catch a bad guy who was going to a fancy vacation place in Southeast Asia. The place was way off the beaten path. It was deep in the jungle, far away from any roads. You could only get there by helicopter or a special driver. The mission was to catch the person on the way to the resort, but we didn't know exactly when they would get there. We had 10 days to wait and see if the person would even show up at all. Secret missions don't happen in nice places. They happen in dark, dirty places where most people don't want to go. We couldn't set up our team at the resort because it wasn't safe and we didn't have the right equipment. We had to stay close by, but also stay hidden. Not far from the resort, there were three old huts. We decided to buy them secretly and use them as our base. The huts gave us a place to hide from the rain and other people, and also let us get to the river quickly. When things go as planned, it's easy. But things rarely go as planned... Our 10 days were almost up. The team was tired, sick, and covered in bug bites. Nothing was working. Nothing was fun. Nothing was easy. But we stayed because the mission needed us to. We stayed because we had self-discipline. Most people say they wish they had more self-discipline. Many countries have problems with health, addiction, and anxiety because people lack self-discipline. When I trained in the military and other places, we always learned by doing. We learned step by step, in order. This is called 'experiential learning.' The goal is to make what you learn stick by using ideas right away. A lot of people say they don't have the self-discipline to reach their goals. Self-discipline is often misunderstood. Some think it's a personality trait. Others think it's a skill you can learn. Neither is completely right. Self-discipline is using your 'willpower' on purpose. To understand self-discipline, we need to first understand willpower. Ready for some brain science? Willpower is our ability to say no to temptations. Everyone is born with it, but we don't all have the same amount as adults. Our willpower changes based on what we experience in life. Willpower is like a battery. Once it's used up, we lose our will. We all know what that's like: - We say no to donuts in the morning but give in and eat one in the afternoon. - We're excited to play with our kids after work, but when we get home, we just want to be left alone. - We answer emails all day, even from people we don't like, but put off emails from family and friends on the weekend. These show how our willpower gets used up. Those with more willpower can last longer, but we all feel it running low by the end of the day. Most people spend 4 hours a day resisting temptations and using up their willpower. Whether you're trying not to eat sweets or trying to quit smoking, saying no is tiring. The energy you use to say no is real, just like the energy you use to walk or run. And just like exercising, you get tired and eventually run out of energy. When your willpower is all used up, your brain becomes more sensitive to pleasure and pain. In the morning, your willpower is full. You can easily say no to unhealthy food, annoying people, and big feelings. But after a full day of work, your willpower is drained. That's why commercials on the radio bother you more on the way home from work than on the way to work. Your brain is more sensitive to noise when your willpower is low. It's also why beer tastes better after a hard workday. Your brain's pleasure sensors are turned up because your willpower is used up. Just like a muscle, your willpower can grow. It can recover, get bigger, and get stronger. It just takes practice. And just like growing muscles, the key is to let yourself rest. If you let your willpower run out, it can't grow. Instead, you have to use it wisely and give yourself time to recharge before it's all gone. The way to have self-discipline is to increase your willpower. Willpower lets you say no to temptations, keep going when it's hard, and handle discomfort, pain, and fear. Saying no to temptations lets you make choices on purpose - the choices you want to make instead of the ones you just happen to make. Self-discipline is making the same choice over and over, even when you feel discouraged, tired, or tempted. You can't have self-discipline until you increase your willpower. Most people don't understand the difference between self-discipline and willpower. But people in special jobs like spies do. Now you do, too. Godspeed, #EverydaySpy P.S. Knowing your current baseline of willpower starts with self-awareness. When you uncover your unique personality traits, you can learn how to use them to [make the changes that will get you ahead in all aspects of life.]( Andrew Bustamante, Founder of EverydaySpy.com, is a former covert CIA Intelligence officer, decorated US Air Force Combat Veteran, and respected Fortune 500 senior advisor. Learn more from Andrew on his Podcast (The Everyday Espionage Podcast) and by following @EverydaySpy on your favorite social media platform. This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Don't want to receive these emails anymore? [Unsubscribe]( EverydaySpy, 411 Walnut St. #20309, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043