Willpower

Don't Leave Home Without It

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." ~ Calvin Coolidge

One of the ironies of life is that one may derive freedom through discipline, especially self discipline. If you want to have a choice in how and where you live and what you do for a living you must discipline yourself, and the basis of self discipline is willpower.

Of the many qualities a person may possess it's fair to say that willpower is right up there in importance, so don't leave home without it. Silent Cal opines in the quote above that persistence is the indispensable quality for succeeding in any endeavor, and without it one's ambitions may grind to a halt, but what is persistence but the persistent application of willpower? It's perhaps fortunate that modern life enforces a certain degree of persistence upon us by the nature of work in the modern world; if it's Monday morning it's time to get up and go.

It's axiomatic that courage is mostly the result of persistence and willpower in that courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the plowing ahead when one would rather give in to fear.

"Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it." ~ Mark Twain

Although Mark Twain may or may not be speaking to a single event, it applies in that courage is needed time and again, and that means that one must persist in acting in spite of fear.

Persistence itself is really a secondary quality since it is the result of willpower, or just will.

"The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them." ~ Robert Frost

The engine of persistence is willpower, the application of which is fundamental for courage, which is then fundamental for honesty and doing the right thing.

"The simple step of a courageous individual is not to take part in the lie. "One word of truth outweighs the world." ~ Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

So it's a matter of willpower. Persistence comes from willpower, courage comes from willpower, speaking the truth comes from courage which comes from willpower, much of making correct decisions is a matter of not making emotional decisions, which depends greatly on willpower. Making moral choices is a matter of willpower, but only for those who are moral.

If you want to change the world try to change yourself, as the old saying goes, since that's the only thing you have much control over. This you can work on by trying to act the way you want to be, watching your thoughts, speech, what you do for relaxation, with whom you hang out, and on and on.

Since changing yourself requires willpower you might make it a high priority to increase it. To increase your willpower you should repetitively do things that requires it's application, so we are all fortunate that our daily lives generally provide such opportunities, such as facing a Monday morning,

But why stop there? G. Gordon Liddy of Watergate fame, or infamy depending on your point of view, would hold the palm of his hand over the open flame of a match or cigarette lighter, and hold it for as long as he could. I DO NOT recommend this technique, but he did it so as to try to increase his willpower.

"I was in uniform for four years, and I know that heroism doesn't occur from taking orders, but rather from people who through their own willpower and strength are willing to sacrifice their lives for an idea." ~ Thor Heyerdahl

For working out, I used the strength training technique wherein one does not stop at a given number of reps, but does as many as possible, so you get healthier at the same time as you increase your willpower, if your heart doesn't stop. The usual CYA here is to say see your doctor first. (The technique is that, for each exercise you work at a weight such that you can do at least eight reps, then when you can do twelve you slightly increase that weight. This is good if you have a short time to work out, and can do only one set each.)

Yes, I believe the will is very important. It's how I have succeeded in life. G. Gordon Liddy

Willpower relates directly to personal freedom, since willpower and self discipline allow one to accomplish that which could not otherwise be accomplished.

Having a powerful will gives one a sense of being able to change and improve of one's situation for the simple reason that it does help one change and improve his situation. This folds into politics in that those attracted into left wing politics are often those who feel trapped and want an all powerful mother figure, father figure or maybe just gender neutral figure to run the world. Then some seek political office so that their power protects them from the world.

The main goal of those in power is to maintain and increase their control, they don't want to give up power. Their problem with the Bill of Rights is not only that it limits the power of the powerful, but it has provisions that make for a less fearful populace. Fearful people are easier to control, so it's important to give then a feeling of powerlessness to induce fear. Someone with self discipline has more freedom than one without, which may seem counter intuitive to some, and self discipline is a function of willpower. If you want to be free improve your willpower so that you increase your self discipline, courage and persistence. From these come skills and attitudes that will work to improve your freedom whatever the circumstances.

"Happiness is secured through virtue; it is a good attained by man's own will." ~ Thomas Aquinas

Some of my thoughts on the need for wisdom, strength and courage are here:

"I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'" ~ Muhammad Ali

Stay Brave, Stay Free