The Power of Will and Desire

 

"Willpower and desire, when properly combined, make an irresistible pair." -Napoleon Hill

Willpower and desire is the most powerful drive that humans have. Desire creates drive, and willpower keeps the engine going, Motivation is not the same, as it is not always permanent nor solid. The motivation for losing weight could be abs or compliments from other people. The motivation for getting into med-school could be to satisfy parents or the check that comes with the job. But what happens when you exercise and you don't see abs in 4 months? What happens when people don't notice your progress as much as you hoped? What happens when the stress that comes from studying medicine exceeds the happiness that is "promised" at the finish-line? Instead, desire to improve and compete. Desire to run faster and longer than you could last time. Desire to eat healthier because you wake up with more energy. Desire to do something you enjoy because the journey is fun and the progress brings you happiness. Realize that will and desire are not highlighted on ones road through life. We have to look for it; we have to work to develop these skills. Find the desire in everything you do. If you want to lose weight, find the satisfaction when your time is faster by 5 seconds than last time. If you want to produce better results at school/work, find the proud feeling you get when you look back and are able to proudly present this project as one of your best yet.

Will is a bit trickier, as it seems so intangible and hard to grasp at times. The realization of your true desires in your actions will help lift the fog on this power. They go hand-in-hand, as desire is what creates your will, your want. The want to make progress and find your happiness is what creates drive in your life. The challenges and failures is what will reveal whether or not if what you are doing is what you want. Fitness is one of my best examples to realizing what will motivate me to keep going. In my freshman year, I was overweight and out of shape. I used injuries and school as excuses as to why I'm not doing sports like I used to. When I start to work out, my motivation was driven by (of course) abs and future compliments that I thought I was going to get. A month goes by...3 months go by...a year goes by....abs were nowhere to be found....and some muscles, sure, but where is the "Wow have you been working out?" that I was looking for? I realized that the whole time, my expectations were unrealistic, so I started to slack as my biceps and abs weren't blowing up like I thought. I realized that in order to keep going, I had to find a light that will keep pulling me. It was the satisfaction of knowing that I was healthier, more energetic, and that I could do more push ups than the guy next to me. I decided to utilize my naturally competitive nature to push me towards a better me in the upcoming months. I competed with myself to be better; progress didn't have to come every week, it just had to progress sometime, somewhere, somehow. 

With all that said, I leave you with some food for though. Desire and will is different for everyone. You have to find which fuel is best for your engine and which destination will give you the happiness that you need.

"I am just putting my shoes to walk my road; so far I have learned how to tie the laces. I wish to succeed, and inevittably fail in some cases. I hope when I rest, my footprints will echo through the valley, and light will follow after my journey." -Khang Doan

Contributed by KHANG DOAN