The Force Of Will

Willpower is a skill that we can all learn and develop, because it is like a muscle that can sustain itself.

If professional athletes need physical and mental preparation, we all need to prepare to achieve our goal. It is fundamental work.

How to define the will?

Etymologically, the word “will” comes from the Latin “ voluntas-atis ”, which means to desire.

But, this concept involves many other factors such as the ability to make decisions and make choices,  the aspiration towards something that allows us to discover others, the determination to evaluate and define our goals, and the setting in action, which is the definitive factor by which we set out on what we want to achieve.

When the will is strong and powerful, it helps us achieve our desires and ideals, constituting a real driving force  that allows us to take the path to success, overcoming many obstacles.

Its two most important ingredients, according to psychiatrist Enrique Rojas, are motivation and hope.

The will determines us

It all starts with a desire. But, in order to achieve our goals, that desire has to turn into something that we crave, something that our will and motivation are directed towards.

To have will is to choose.  And to choose is to give up. Even when we don’t make a decision, we give up, as the philosopher William James said so well: “ When you have to make a choice, and you don’t, it is a choice in itself ”.

To choose, in the case of the will, is to bet on something that makes us want, which is in the distance, and which we wish to achieve by concentrating all our efforts, and all our patience.

This thing would be the main stimulation of our capacity for action, especially in the most complicated moments of our existence.

While we often look at our goals positively, the road we need to travel to achieve them is fraught with pitfalls. But then, how can we strengthen our strength of will?

The first thing to do is find out if your goal is what you really want to achieve. If your answer to this question is in the affirmative, you must focus all your requirements on it.

Never lose sight of the horizon you want to reach, and keep in mind that “all work deserves a salary”.

Only the one who knows how to wait has the capacity to use his will power without haste, and without asking for an immediate reward. It is only in this way that you can reach the object of all your desires. 

If you take a step back, you will realize that the real purpose of the will is to achieve victories over yourself. 

Educate your will

As we have already mentioned, willpower is a muscle that can be developed. But to get there,  you need to answer some questions.

The will is strengthened during  a gradual and progressive learning, through the repetition of actions which can sometimes hurt you, which make you fall, but in the face of which you must always have sufficient strength to get up.

This is exactly the same process as learning certain behaviors. The difficulties are linked at first, then everything becomes natural.

One of the fundamental things in strengthening your will is to keep in mind that, in most cases, the benefits of this inner work will not be seen immediately.

It is a path that will only yield results in the long run. The road to the realization of your personal project is inevitably filled with obstacles and struggles.

But if you manage to overcome all these pitfalls, you will find the path to your true personal development.

Motivation should be your main driver. It will generate the force necessary to allow you to move forward. You need to know exactly what you want to gain the sufficient willpower that will allow you to make your dreams come true.

Have clear, well-defined goals, and give up anything that might distract you. Keep in mind that the work you are doing now, however nasty it may be, will bear great fruit in the near future.

Try to govern yourself completely, to direct all your forces towards the achievement of your objectives. Only consistency will allow you to achieve your ends.

Maintaining a balance between the means at your disposal, and the goals you want to achieve, is also a very important task.

Matching means and ends will let you know your strengths and weaknesses, which is a necessary step in developing winning strategies.

By knowing your skills and your limitations, you will know which path to take to achieve all your desires.

Remember that the process of educating your will is endless. Life always surprises us by subjecting us to unexpected tests, which force us to completely reorganize the trajectory we had previously traced. 

If you ever feel that your willpower is running out, ask yourself why. What are the reasons for this mental fatigue?

Are you really striving for what you deeply desire? Have you lost faith in your ability to succeed? No question is superfluous in the quest for truth.

Thanks to these questions, you will be able to discover the main reason for your lack of willpower. The current lifestyle can sometimes cause us to quickly abandon our goals, to confine ourselves to those assigned to us by others.

Stay alert, and don’t forget to throw all your might into the battle that will lead you to the realization of your dreams.

Bibliography:

Rojas Montes, Enrique. (1994),  The conquest of the will

Images by Ian Arneson