Where There's a Will, There's a Way

Before we set out on our paths, we were the path. The compendium of all of our values, efforts, goals, and dreams. If there’s a tree to be planted, we plant it. If there’s a mistake to fix, we fix it. And if there’s something that needs to be done, we do it. Free will is what separates the rock from the road. If we had more willpower, we would almost always have the means to achieve what we wanted.

Hermann Hesse (German writer, poet, novelist, and painter) said that when someone truly needs something, they find it. When they get it, it’s not because of luck – it’s their willpower. Their own desire and need drove them towards it. In other words, though it may be difficult, we can achieve anything we set out mind to. Perseverance gives everything purpose.

Believing is our second power, wanting is our first. Those proverbial mountains moved by faith are nothing in comparison to what willpower can do. We don’t realize how much we’re capable of until we think it through, try, and will it to happen.

Choosing your own path

No one lacks the strength they need, but perseverance can be scarce. The greatest challenges shrink up as soon as you can muster enough willpower. Any path is crossable where there’s enough will. That’s what Rudyard Kipling said: “If you give a man more than he’s capable of handling, he’ll find a way. If you just give him what he can do, he won’t”.

We’re barely half awake. We use just a small portion of the physical and psychological resources we’re given. It’s the same with our determination. We’re better at hiding than looking forward, facing our problems, and looking for solutions. We quickly forget that, as soon as we believe in ourselves, we’ll discover how to live life to the fullest.

Being authentic in a world that’s constantly trying to turn us into someone else is a serious challenge. The paths we choose reflect our decisions. Do we want to end up sweeping our dreams under a rug and settling? If so, we should stick to the most well-worn paths. However, if we would rather draw outside the lines and take a cross-country detour, we can be ourselves in a world we created.

Willpower is the most powerful driving force

Willpower is the impulse that will bring our desires to fruition. Someone with strong willpower makes their decisions matter, even when faced with every kind of difficulty and opposition. However, someone with weak willpower will easily fold when faced with adversity.

This force is related to desire. If we don’t want something enough, the willpower we use to try and get it will be too weak. On the other hand, if the desire is strong enough and we will it to happen, then we’ll certainly persist until we achieve the goal.

As we’ve seen, it’s not enough to want something. You need the willpower to move mountains, to push forward, and to plant the seeds of self-confidence.