Willpower

Willpower at WILL

The effort of will, which can also be called an expansion of willpower,
can be compared to opening the tap of an energy reserve; the
energy that flows out can be applied to an action, or to a thought or
feeling. This is the simplest way of describing how willpower works.

What conditions are necessary for bringing willpower into play?

They are, of course, the same in for persons suffering from insufficient
control as they are for normal persons, and can be considered
from two points of view.

First let’s look at the phenomenon of willpower from a mechanical
point of view, which is the less important of the two, but which
should be understood.

This is what happens whenever willpower is used:

1. An effort of will is never possible when persons are exhaling. It
always happens during the pause after inhaling, as if the brain were
looking for a physical point of reference in the air contained in the
chest cavity.

2. There is a more or less pronounced increase in pulse rate, and
accelerated cerebral circulation.

3. An effort of will is almost always accompanied by a muscular
contraction.

Now let’s look at the psychological conditions, without which
there is no emission of willpower.

1. Knowing what you want.

2. The possibility of getting what you want.

3. The sincerity and truth of wanting.


1. Knowing what you want

No effort of will is possible without definitive thought. We have
to be precise about the nature and the goal of wanting. We often believe
we know what we want, without realizing that the idea we have
in mind is too vague and imprecise. In such cases, the mind cannot
concentrate on the idea, which has no substance, and nothing is
achieved. We must get into the habit of accurately formulating exactly
what we want, in a clear sentence. We often realize how vague
our desires are when we try to formulate them clearly. This indicates
that we often really don’t know what it is we want.
 
2.Possibility of wanting

This second factor is easily understood - it is futile to want what
is impossible. The mind knows when this is the case, and will not
make any real effort to achieve what it knows is impossible.

3.Sincerity and truth of wanting
Of the three psychological conditions involved in making an effort
of will, it is most often this last which is defective, and I believe I
am not exaggerating when I say that it is due to a lack of sincerity
that most efforts of will fail.
The causes are numerous: first there is paralyzing doubt, the fear
of making any kind of effort, which can even be seen as a form of selfimposed
suffering for daring to want something. Then we have the
class of persons (and there are many) who lie to themselves, some
unconsciously, others quite knowingly, but who because of weakness
or moral cowardice, eventually expose themselves. Persons who do
this unconsciously usually give up after “trying to want” which means
that although they think they may want something, they cannot make
the decision to actually want it. This can be easily corrected when
patients are made aware of their mistake.

So the first thing to aim for is sincerity - getting these people to be
honest with themselves - and then the effort of willpower will achieve
the desired results.

How to Stay Upbeat and Positive

• Expect positive outcomes every day!
• Start each day by planting positive seeds of thought!
• Look forward, not backward...
• Take time every day to daydream
• Dare to aim high
• Attitude is everything!
• Learn from your mistakes and move on
• Enjoy the sunset
• Accept occasional small setbacks
• Live your dreams!