Do not be afraid to exaggerate the role of willpower.

From The Laws of Self Sabotage.

Lets cut to the chase, Life is a grind. It’s hard, unfair, and full of obstacles. Talent, intelligence, and resources mean nothing if you don’t have the willpower to push through the pain, the setbacks, and the self-doubt. Willpower is the engine that drives you forward when everything else fails. It’s what separates the winners from the losers. Robert Greene isn’t saying willpower is magic. He’s saying you should treat it like it’s magic. Why? Because when you believe in the power of your will, you create a positive feedback loop.

You believe you can overcome anything → You push harder → You achieve more → Your belief in your willpower grows stronger.

Willpower is not just a trait but a tool that can be cultivated and amplified. By “exaggerating” its role, he means consciously overemphasizing its importance in your life. This is about creating a mindset where willpower becomes your primary driver. The idea is to believe that willpower is your greatest asset, even if it feels like an exaggeration at first. This creates a psychological shift that empowers you to take action and persist through challenges.

The exaggeration serves a strategic purpose: it creates a positive feedback loop. When you believe in your willpower, you act with more determination and resilience. These actions lead to small successes, which reinforce your belief in your willpower, creating a self-fulfilling cycle. This is all you need care about because it propels you forward, regardless of external circumstances or setbacks.

Your attitude, how you perceive yourself and your ability to overcome challenges—is the foundation of your actions. This attitude is not something you’re born with; it’s something you actively shape. Shaping this process is “most important creation in life” because it determines how you respond to obstacles, failures, and opportunities. A strong, willpower-driven attitude enables you to navigate life’s complexities with confidence and purpose.

Robert Greene warns against leaving your attitude to chance or external influences. If you don’t deliberately shape your attitude, it will be shaped by your fears, insecurities, and the opinions of others. This leads to self-sabotage, a destructive pattern where you unconsciously undermine your own success. To avoid this, you must take control of your mindset. This means consistently reinforcing your belief in your willpower and actively working to overcome negative patterns.

Why This Works:

• Studies show that believing in your ability to succeed actually increases your chances of success. It’s like a placebo effect for your mind. When you exaggerate the role of willpower, you’re tapping into this psychological phenomenon.

• Your brain is like plastic, it can be reshaped. When you consistently tell yourself, “I have the willpower to overcome this, or its easy, if they can why not me, imagine backing off because something too small,” you’re rewiring your brain to handle challenges more effectively.

• For example: if you consistently workout, your workout will become easier for you overtime, same with doing other hard things. but if you spend your time scrolling, you will become addictive to scrolling, with time it will get difficult to concentrate on doing other things that require focus.