Will Has More Power Than Any Other Attribute
Posted: Sunday, February 15, 2009
by Susan Thom
Will is a culmination of experiencing many different feelings. Fear, frustration, laziness, negativity, excitement, anger, sadness, grief, confusion and loneliness. When confronted by these feelings for the first time, we may not know what to do, or how to handle ourselves. We abhor the way we are feeling, but have no idea how to change things. The only answer then, is to suffer. Emotional pain can be devastating.
A list may be helpful, and as you are able to mark each one off, the lighter you become, the happier, the sillier, and the calmer. Most of our lack of patience, quickness to resort to anger, especially physically, and low opinion of ourselves, comes from the way we were made to feel growing up. I'm not blaming parents, we all do the best we know how to do, but the scars linger nonetheless.
It's taken me about 14 year to get to where I am today, and the work was hard and intrusive and embarrassing, but my will kept me moving forward. I was able to learn why I was hurting so bad, and how it was my responsibility to myself to accept the blame, and to keep trying to figure out the answers with me as the reason for the pain, not the pain. Once I had all that other baggage out of the way, and I could concentrate on my personality, and the way I thought and came to conclusions, it was more definitive what my character flaws were.
My will forced me to look at each one, dissect it, compare it to how I used and abused it, and make changes. The will is a powerful thing. It can hold you up or bring you down, but your mind is in control, never outside forces. We are all responsible for our own destiny. If we get a brand new car that took us 3 years to save up for, and someone broadsided it on the second day, if we have done our life work, we can accept what happened, and take the necessary steps to get it fixed.
If we haven't, we could very well end up in the middle of the intersection, screaming on the top of our lungs and trying to get to the other driver, against the officers commands, which would render us arrested and in jail. The car wouldn't be fixed any sooner, by the way. Our conscience is holding on to dad who hit us with a belt, and we won't let it go, or our sister who was the baby, and always got everything, and our ex spouse who cheated on us, and our boss who is a control freak who uses his power in an angry way.
With all of those negative and painful feelings floating around inside, life can't be anything but negative. So when the newspaper boy leaves your paper in the wet gutter, chances are you will handle it with less patience than if all your negative baggage had been worked through and worked out. The power of the will of people is tremendous.
There are those who quit smoking after 40 years, cold turkey. Some lose weight, and keep it off. Others stop drinking on the drop of a dime. Next month, I will be sober for 16 years. I have been going through a very cruel divorce for the past 2 years, and it's not quite over yet, but I never reached for a drink. I thought about it, but the compulsion is gone, and my will is sturdy. I've gotten rid of the cobwebs through a variety of ways, and now, I can more easily handle what comes my way.
I'm not saying it hasn't been so bad it didn't send me into periods of depression. I am saying that from all I've learned, my will is stronger than evil, stronger than wrong, stronger than me. It's kept me going when I wanted to stop. It's held me up when I wanted to fall. It's brought me out of my depressive moods, and promised me better times. It's pushed me forward when I wanted to step back. This entity was hiding behind all the garbage, just waiting for me to be strong enough and free enough to use it.
It possesses the power to help move through life, taking care of whatever comes our way. Faith is like the fuel of the soul, the will, is like the fuel of the mind. To tap into it's power is a great advantage. To do so in a positive, loving way, is to do God's will.
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Top-level comments on this article: (8 total)Very good article Susan, you bring out helpful hints to those who have been through difficult times.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi david,thank you for taking the time to read and comment.if not for the strength of the spirit within, the will that gives me that strength when i feel i have none on my own, i don't know where i'd be, but it wouldn't be writing to you, and that would be a terrible loss,my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Susan, it would do us all well to meet this guy named Will. :-) A beautiful job with wonderful helps. Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you! tPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi t,with a home and 2 kids and 2 dogs and a job, and a husband who needs to be away for periods of time, i have a feeling you know will very well.thanks for reading and commenting,enjoy your time with your husband, you both deserve it,my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Sue, in my heartfelt opinion, you deserve a Pulitizer from the title of this article alone! There is much wisdom, depth and truth in it.
"Next month, I will be sober for 16 years. I have been going through a very cruel divorce for the past 2 years, and it's not quite over yet, but I never reached for a drink. I thought about it, but the compulsion is gone, and my will is sturdy. I've gotten rid of the cobwebs through a variety of ways, and now, I can more easily handle what comes my way."
You are an expert and authorized to speak on the title of this article. And the past 2 years with the divorce is just one part of what you've overcome "through a variety of ways!" Thank you again for sharing, reaching out and helping others.
Sincerely,
AvisPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi avis,i wish i was where you are to give you a big hug, but i can feel the caring and warmth, and i thank you, and i am sending the same back to you.16 years, yes!!! 4 more, and i'll be even, 5 more years and i'll be sober for longer than i drank, (20 years) now, that's something to celebrate.avis, if i hadn't been there to witness what has gone on in my life in the past 2 years, i wouldn't believe it.but...there were reasons, and those reasons, although painful, are what i am working out in my karma right now."never attribute to malice that which can be easily explained by stupidity"have a good week,my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Hi Sue.Your article is marvelous and what you have achieved even more marvelous.I always read your articles and I never fail to learn something valuable. I especially like the quote in the response to Avis' comment, too.Thank you so much for all you do,DiannePlease log in to respond to this comment.hi dianne,thank you for reading my articles, that means a lot to me.i like that quote as well. it helps to keep it in mind, since sometimes we think someone is doing something to purposely hurt us, when in fact, they are just unknowing.it has helped me avoid disagreements and arguments many times.my best to you,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Great article Susan, wonderfully written wonderfully said.....I especially liked the part that said, and I quote "and my will is sturdy. I've gotten rid of the cobwebs through a variety of ways, and now, I can more easily handle what comes my way". I think that is what I , and in fact, all of us could follow that advice and prosper many ways. I really appreciate your sharing this.....Great job....your fan and friend in pen.....Gary.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi Gary,i appreciate you reading and commenting.yes, the cobwebs need to be removed before clear thinking can be unrestricted and not all scrambled. it's worth the work involved. making amends to those we are distant from is a great first step.it's what started me off and running.have a great week,my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Great article Susan. Will power really is the key to succeeding in anything.Thanks for your insightsPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi jonathan,thank you for reading and responding.i appreciate it, always.i checked out what the E icon was for, and i was very impressed. what a great idea, and more coverage for you.happy writing,my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
Susan!I hadn't realized myself that I had an E for "expert" icon.Thanks a million for pointing it out to me.It also gave me the oppoprtunity to discover a dead link on the profile page, so I really owe you one!Keep up the great articlesJonathanPlease log in to respond to this comment.hi jonathan,i'm glad i could be of help.i'll keep writing, and i hope, you keep reading :)my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
This is a very encouraging article for those wrestling with problems in their lives. You have shown true grit in all you've been through. Yet there are some who just don't seem to have the same will-power and it is those who need a shoulder to lean on. Those with the will, such as yourself, can be such a testimony and help to others who are weak.Great article, thanks.Please log in to respond to this comment.hi David,thanks for stopping by.i appreciate you reading and responding.if not for a strong will, i have no idea where i'd be.i thank my parents for instilling strength that has stayed with me all my life.my best regards,suePlease log in to respond to this comment.
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