The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will. – Vince Lombardi
I believe the TV has sucked more brains out than all the zombies combined. Do you have the will power to complete a task, or will you be distracted?
What does that mean?
This quote, by a well known American Football coach, is all about motivation, and if you have enough of it or not. In the sport, a lot of skill, strength and yes, knowledge is necessary to play well at the professional level.
But this quote is about the next step up in ability, and that is the will to do so. It’s about the will to do another lap, another set of sprints, or the will to win the game despite the score. That is what separates those who do what is necessary from those who are just doing it because it’s fun.
That doesn’t mean you can’t do something for the fun of it, but the question arises when it ceases to be fun. What do you do then? Do you have the will to do what it takes? That was a very important trait to this coach, and to all of us in real life.
Why is having the will to accomplish a task important?
Everyone encounters difficulties from time to time. The two things that get you to complete the task are your motivation, and your will power. This quote focuses on your will power, and so will this post. But what is will, or will power?
Will Power is defined at TheFreeDictionary.com as “The strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.” It’s the ability to tell yourself that you will complete what you are working on no matter what. It’s the strength to get back up after your ten thousandth failure, adjust your approach, and try again.
It’s the willingness to make sure you keep your focus and conserve your momentum, and never, ever, ever give up. It’s the ability to force yourself to get up early or stay up late to work on it until you get it right. That doesn’t take strength, nor does it take knowledge, although they can help. What it takes is will.
Where can I apply this in my life?
It’s easy to do something when it’s fun. That’s what we do easily, and as frequently as we can manage. It is what keeps us happy, and gives us pleasure. But not everything stays in the ‘fun’ range all the time. That’s when the power of our will is tested.
When the going gets tough, what do you do? Do you buckle down and redouble your efforts, or do you give up? Some of that will depend on how committed you are to the project. But some of the time it also has to do with what your habits are.
Some people have the habit of quitting. When I was young, I didn’t have any attention span, so as soon as something quit being fun, something else would catch my eye. I left a trail of partially completed and abandoned projects throughout the basement, garage, and at my grandparent’s house.
Others are dogged in their determination to finish everything, no matter what, and keep after something long after they should let go. In romance, these people are called stalkers. Don’t be one of them. But hanging on too long also time away from other projects which are still worth pursuing.
When to hang on and when to let go is a very personal decision, and will vary depending on any number of factors. That’s something you’ll have to evaluate at each point in your life when you approach the proverbial fork in the road, and need to make a decision.
Building will power is as simple as making sure you finish. Start with easy things. For me, that included any and every small task. I try not to let distractions pull me away. I try to remind myself that I need to finish this task first, then I can get to that other shiny thing.
I worked up from being able to brush my teeth without wandering out and doing something else, toothbrush still clenched between my teeth, to being able to sit for the better part of an hour and write a blog. Most of the time, anyways. Sometimes I do fail.
And that’s something to remember. We all fail from time to time. Things aren’t always going to work out the way we want. Don’t give up. Learn from it, and try to figure out how to keep that distraction away from you, or to better schedule your time, if you know when the distraction will happen.
One of the things I learned is that I needed to have the blog done before the kids went to bed, or wait until after they were done. While they are trying to get to bed, there are always interruptions. So I adjusted, rather than try to deal with an impossible situation.
Learn, adjust, try again. It’s part of the cycle of life and of learning. If you just keep at it, eventually you will get the hang of it. If it’s worth the effort, that is. Keep working on small things until you’re ready to start using your will power to finish the bigger things.
Remember to make good use of your will power. Because without the will, you end up with a won’t. And that’s not going to get it done.
From: Twitter, @tonyrobbins
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/v/vincelomba127517.html
Photo by ritcheyer
