Dimension #5: Will
Will isn't motivation - it's the engine that renders your reality
Willpower, or will, is essentially the muscle component of our mind - it is what propels us to voluntarily take action to do whatever we do - or not do - in our lives. It is separate from instinct, and the determination that stems from instinct. In fact, our will can override our animal instincts and like our cognitive abilities, separates us from other animals.
Note that I chose to use the word “will” and not “motivation” for this dimension. The two often get confused, and clarifying the difference between them is important.
Motivation is defined as the purpose and the reason to act or accomplish something. It is the inspiration that generates the aspiration towards a goal, no matter how small or large. However, motivation is not the engine that actually thrusts you forward towards your goal - will is. If motivation is the fuel, then will is the engine that uses the fuel to actually push you along.
The main mechanism by which will exerts its influence is through control. It is by the power of self-control that we refrain ourselves from doing something, or push ourselves to do something.
Control is the critical component in actualizing reality. We may daydream and have all kinds of cognitive thoughts (creativity), but until we make the effort to execute them, they remain as nothing more than thoughts in our head. Conversely, as we embark on journeys to act on our thoughts we inevitably run into hurdles and distractions, which control enables us to bypass through perseverance and discipline. We have the ability to delay gratification and resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals.
Interestingly, will is not something that can be measured directly through our physiology - it is something that exists completely within our minds. While there are studies that show activity in the prefrontal cortex where will is involved, it represents decision making activity and not the amount of will being exerted. At best, we have a behavioral observation as a means to measure.
One of the best illustrations of the power of will, and its value, is in the recruitment process of the US Navy Seals - one of the most elite units in the entire US military. Only 6% of applicants end up qualifying for training, and only 1 in 4 of the qualifying recruits actually complete the most grueling training in the military known as Hell Week.
The biggest mistake SEAL candidates make is to think that Hell Week is all about physical strength - in reality, the tests are as mental as they are physical. It is up to the trainee to decide how cold is too cold, how sore is too sore, and how tired is too tired to go on. It is their minds that give up, not their bodies. That is why research done by the Navy itself shows that there is no physical attribute that defines a common trait for success. SEALs are not necessarily the largest, strongest, or fastest men.
However, instructors have observed only one true predictor of candidates’ ultimate success - it’s what they see in the eyes of applicants who want it the most - the burning desire, or will, to be a SEAL.
For successful applicants, getting through Hell Week is often remembered as the greatest achievement of their lives. They speak of a realization that they can do 20X more than they ever thought possible. It is a defining moment that they reach back to when in combat. They know that they will never, ever quit, or let a teammate down.
If we consider that our will is akin to our mind’s muscle, then just like any muscle, fatigue can set it. One constant amongst us all is that we all have our breaking points - every single one of us. Yet, the same point is not shared by everyone, nor is it set to a constant that is static throughout our lives. We can cultivate it, strengthen it, train it, or let it atrophy. Just like any muscle in our body.
Thus, as we train ourselves to maximize our capacity for will, we must also acknowledge that there are limitations and constraints to work with. It is through the combination of intelligently building and deploying our will, combined with deliberate planning to minimize triggers and hurdles that can get us to our destination.
Minimizing triggers and hurdles allows us to build our will, lowering the strength needed when starting out. You don’t go to the gym and start deadlifting 300kg as a novice. Not only will you fail, you may hurt yourself in the process. Likewise, the chances of quitting a vice “cold turkey” is unlikely, unless you already happen to have a powerful will engine - but if you did, you probably wouldn’t be in the position to be controlled by whatever vice it is that is haunting you.
However, once you build your will engine, you will be able to conquer things laterally - meaning, you can deploy it to any situation and power your way through. There are many ways to build the engine. For example, I became a vegetarian as part of my exercise routine to build it up. I also had other ancillary reasons which included sustainability and animal cruelty, but building my engine was the main driver. It was an evolutionary process - I didn’t give up meat overnight. I also avoided situations that would deter me, such as going to dinner invites at large buffets that had huge meat dishes on display. I also gave up drinking alcohol, and did it by limiting intake gradually.
The whole point was never to eat meat or drink liquor again in my entire life - this was not a religious practice. It was to build my will engine, so that if I did ever eat meat or drink alcohol, I knew that I was in complete control while doing so, and not the other way around.
Once you have built up a powerful will engine, your ability to render reality becomes autonomous and not at the mercy of your physiological and material self. It is a crucial ingredient and the main connector to spirituality - which is why many faith based belief systems focus so much on it, either through prayer, abstinence, asceticism, and meditation.
In FoFty’s realm, will is the underlying driver behind the principle that “We live from inside-out, and not outside-in.”
➡️ Watch the accompanying YouTube video for this article here:
➡️ Read the previous FoFty manuscript article here:
http://fofty.net
About Sang: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sangyshin