If only you had more willpower, you would easily stick to your diet or exercise program, right? Turns out that you need a lot more than willpower; it’s not just about self-control. These five truths about willpower may change how you think about and use this inner resource to help meet your goals.

Going beyond this age-old question, Dave Asprey states in Bulletproof Diet: “A process like willpower is far more sensitive to your energy than the lower levels of biology needed for survival.” Essentially: if we’re not supplying our bodies with the right chemicals, we’re not going to follow up on our big plans. Do you agree?