Apart from intelligence, the most precious gift of the human being is will
power.
Will power goes further however, as it is rooted in the depths of one's self. It
is a powerful internal "pressure," the visible manifestation of what an
individual wishes to accomplish. The expression "to have will power" is very
apt, as it refers to a man who imposes on himself a rigid discipline in order to
attain a desired purpose.
This power or capacity for self-mastery is manifested in diverse forms in
different people. Some have a great deal of this power and others lack it
completely. Success in life depends to a great extent on the will power of an
individual, on one's capacity to persevere, to work hard when others falter, to
overcome unpleasant situations, misery and failure.
There are people of great intelligence and exquisite sensitivity, who cannot
forge their way in life because they lack will power.
On the contrary, we see others who are successful, not always for their great
intelligence, but whose constancy, absolute dedication to work and strong
character help them to overcome all obstacles. Many times a poorly educated,
obtuse and insensitive individual is more capable of success than someone who is
very cultured and sensitive because he has no fear of injuring others or
harassing them with demands of a commercial nature, for example.
A very sensitive man, on the contrary, is always wondering what the man he
visits for commercial or work-related purposes is thinking of him.
These "considerations" toward others, undermine his "drive" as he is afraid of
being ill received and fears that he may be in the way or may become bothersome.
The thought of "what will people say" is a sure cause of failure and limitation.
One who thinks this way has a passive personality and is therefore unable to
impose his will upon those of a positive nature, unless he develops courage,
drive, audacity and an absolute lack of "consideration" toward others. It is
necessary to understand the sense and the way the word "consideration" is used
here.
It is interesting to check the intimate relationship that exists between will
power and enthusiasm. One who is able to feel enthusiastic about something is
very close to possessing will power. We could say that will power is "contained,
sustained and reasoned enthusiasm."
Apathy, or lack of will power is characterized by an absolute indifference
toward everything; lack of self-love; lack of interest in oneself and in
others.
A cold and indifferent person can never influence others to help or support him
at any time, because he cannot communicate to them the psychic vibration of
enthusiasm; and when we come across someone with a lack of enthusiasm, we think
that he is not convinced of the goodness or quality of the product or ideas he
wishes to sell. This person cannot sell himself even to himself, and is unable
to display his hidden values.
Here are some recommendations for the Education of the Will:
Exercise Plan
Five to ten minutes of deep breathing every morning. Stand with arms
outstretched to the side upon inhaling, retain your breath as long as possible,
and exhale through the mouth, simultaneously and slowly, dropping the arms.
Sit on a chair with hands tightly clenched, breathe deeply, concentrating upon
what you are going to say, and repeat the following in a decided and energetic
manner: "My will is strong and powerful. My will is strong and powerful.
Everything that I desire, I will achieve because I am a center of accumulation
of life, strength and power."
Sit completely upright in a chair with the spine straight, hands closed tightly,
legs together, and remain completely immobile as long as possible. This
immobility should be total and complete.
When completely exhausted physically, upon arriving home to rest, go out
again and walk for a few minutes. During this walk mentally repeat, "I am making
this sacrifice so my will power will increase daily more and more."
As a general rule for development, the following suggestions are given: Never
give way to all the desires that appear during the day. A desire is a powerful
force which is extinguished upon the satisfaction of it. If we refuse to satisfy
many of these desires, retaining this power and maintaining it in suspense, we
have in our hands a powerful energy which increases our personal magnetism.
The physical body is like a horse which must be kept on a short rein to keep
it from running away. If we give way, it starts to demand more and is never
satisfied. It is necessary to have absolute control over food, alcohol and
cigarettes which are strong and constant temptations. Every temptation given
into, is strength that is lost. Avoid as much as possible mechanical actions,
such as nail biting, tapping on the floor with the foot, swaying when standing
up and other actions of a similar nature. Endeavor to stabilize psychic
activity, that is, to not change suddenly from laughter to sorrow.
Always be tranquil and calm.
One habit that should be developed as much as possible to attain strong will
power, is order. Draw up a plan of work ahead of time for each day and do not
alter or change it for any reason whatsoever.
Get into the habit of always accomplishing what is proposed no matter how small
this may be. Feel yourself at all times to be the owner and master of your body,
which may be commanded at any moment to execute what is desired.
It is superfluous to state that an individual with vices, whatever these may be,
cannot acquire strong will power. Therefore, one who is enslaved by a vice must
cut it out at the root or at the cause of it. Vices, bad habits and complexes
are veritable chains which completely paralyze will power.
About the Author
Dario Salas Sommer has published over 10 best selling books on Hermetic
Philosophy under the literary pseudonym, John Baines. He is also the Founder of
the Institute for Hermetic Philosophy, for which he is the Director and
Spiritual Guide. To learn about The John Baines Collection, visit
www.dariosalas.com. To learn about the Institute, visit www.ihpny.org.
