Will Power – or the lack of it?
Many times in our conversations
we come across will power being the driving force behind success. Will power is
stated to be the ‘control’ deliberately exerted to do something or restrain
impulses. It’s also known as the faculty by which a person decides on and
initiates action. Some people also call it the adult voice within that
overcomes with great effort the powerful impulses that may be actually harmful
to the human concerned.
In one such conversation with a
gentleman who had totally given up smoking and drinking the day doctor told him
that he has to change his ways or he would die soon. The successful businessman
was in his mid forties then and could see his children still in their teens and
a wife to support. While the day of the doctor’s advice was truly tumultuous and
shocking, he had to decide one way or the other. He gave up smoking and drinking
immediately and never touched them again. Now an octogenarian, I was appreciating
him for his will power. What he said was more alarming! He said it was not will
power but the lack of it. Surprised? Well, he further explained that he could
never stop at a peg or two or stay put after say five cigarettes. Instead he
found it far easier to give it all up rather than limit him.
We come across this phenomenon
too often. People who can do away with sweets and desserts totally, find
themselves devouring dollops of ice-cream the day they take the first scoop. The
way I look at it is that will power (intellect – or adult voice or inner voice)
and mind power (mind – or child voice or outer voice) are the two sides of the
same coin. The coin being the thought power. We have two driving forces. The
one that finds the easy way but not necessarily the right way and the other
that knows that the way is difficult but the right way. If the mind is let
loose it will get berserk into all attractions of the world. While it is the
will that controls this mind from going astray. So it is only through will
power that life can be disciplined.
We always have simultaneously
several thoughts running through our mind. Have you not realized that when you
are reading a book, the eyes continue to read the words but your thoughts are
already elsewhere. Then a voice alarms you and guides you back to concentrate
on the book. Some also term it as the conscious mind and sub conscious mind. While
the sub conscious mind has immense capacity, it is at the will of the conscious
mind. Hence we need to be very careful about the thoughts that run through our
conscious mind because the sub conscious mind does not have the power to
analyze. It just accepts. So the need of consciously following a process of positive
thinking.
In fact it is sad but we as
humans have so many negative thoughts and the worst part is we do not even realize
that our thinking is negative. We often go one length further to term it as reality. Let me give you an example:
Let us say you are drawing a plan to achieve something. While working on it,
you also think of Plan B as a fall back. However the moment you think of Plan B
subconsciously you have already failed plan A and the whole energy gets
directed to Plan B. If the energy is so guided it’s obvious that Plan A fails.
Then you say – see, I told you. However, you totally forget that you had
actually given more energy to Plan B than what you should have given to Plan A.
If you are fully focused on Plan A, you would do everything under the sun to
achieve it and you will. This is where the guiding will power helps.
So it is essential to filter our
thoughts and assure ourselves to only let the positive thoughts sink within. It
is not being in denial but guiding the path to get positive results.
Anagha Hunnurkar
Saturday, July 9, 2016
