Willpower - The Power to Change

Excerpted from
Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth
By Dan Millman

Life's greatest challenge-one you face in each of the twelve gateways-is turning what you know into what you do. You know the importance of good diet and regular exercise; you know it's best to treat others with kindness. But until you reclaim your will-assert your power to act upon what you know-even the best plans remain unrealized.

"St. Nike" Was Right

Everything is easier said than done. But no matter how intelligent or talented you are, only your actions shape your destiny. To fulfill the promise of the second gateway, you need know, and act upon, only three magic words: Just do it.

But how do we "just do" what we know is best? How do we achieve consistent self-control and self-mastery?

This question came to a head a few years ago, just before I walked onto the stage to present a seminar entitled "The Laws of Spirit." A fellow approached me and asked how he could accomplish his goal of losing weight. "A low-fat diet and regular exercise," I answered. With hardly a pause he again asked how he could eat better and how he could stick with an exercise program. "I know I need to get moving," he said, "but I don't have the willpower. So how do I strengthen my will?"

"You already know how to do it," I said. "Knowing how isn't the problem. Besides, right now you seem to have plenty of will-look at how effectively you've engaged me in conversation while we keep a thousand people waiting."

"Yes, but just one more thing-"

The time had come to apply my own will and begin my talk. So I did.

Something about that fellow bothered me. Then I realized what it was. He reminded me of myself-and of the years I searched for strategies, shortcuts, methods, techniques, formulas, and easy ways to motivate myself to get things done. But life continually returns us to the inescapable reality that the best way to do what you need to do is to just do it. Sometimes it's easy. Sometimes it's tough. But that doesn't change the fact that the only way to get something done is to do it. Reclaim your will and you reclaim your life.

You have free will, but your will isn't always free. Freedom has a price; life has hurdles to overcome. In Reclaim Your Will I use the terms "will," "willpower," "self-discipline," and "self-control" interchangeably, because any of them, when applied over time as patience, persistence, and perseverance, lead to self-mastery. This gateway shows how to exert the power of your will to overcome life's obstacles, laying a solid foundation for success both in the material and spiritual realms.

As you pass through the second gateway, you will explore topics such as the power of purpose, the hurdles on the path, the subconscious secrets of motivation, practical guidelines for getting things done, realities about what you can and cannot control, how to transcend tendencies, and, finally, some inspiring reminders about what you are here on earth to do.

Reclaiming Your Power

Difficulties intimidate you only when you doubt the power of your will. Learn from the characters in The Wizard of Oz-the quick-witted scarecrow who thought he lacked a brain, the loving tin woodsman who felt he lacked a heart, and the brave lion who feared he lacked courage-all of whom came to realize that they had long possessed the traits they desired. Like them, you have never lacked or lost your will; you have only forgotten its power.

The will is like a muscle; it grows stronger with use. And like your muscles, it needs to move, to exert itself. Your inner strength is waiting to be called upon, to grow stronger still. Now is your chance to remember, rebuild, reawaken, and reclaim your innate powers of will. Welcome to the second gateway.