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7/3/13

Is willpower just a measurement of a person’s ability to be uncomfortable for as long as possible to accomplish a goal?  I used to think there was no such thing as willpower.  It could be argued that every action a person takes is based on desire.  Often times the idea of desire gets lumped with greed or some other negative consumption adjective.  Desire is not an inherently negative thing.  I think that if a person for example, donates to a charity, they do that out of desire.  While the donation is a selfless and generous act, it is not without reward to the party making the donation.  The reward may be internal, a good feeling about themselves for helping others.  So the notion that a person accomplishes something because they have a great amount of “willpower” is perhaps false.  Willpower, in that context, implies that a person is able to carry a great burden despite what should be an obvious desire to rid themself of the burden.  But if that person sees the “burden” as the price of whatever desire they are working toward, then they are still just simply acting on desire.  I have recently considered that, if a person has a goal they are working toward, and the “price” of that goal makes them uncomfortable, then the desire to be comfortable could outweigh the desire of the original goal, leading to the pursuit of said goal being forfeited.  That seems to make more sense as a definition of willpower.  So while the reason somebody willingly bears a burden is still desire, their ability to remain uncomfortable is measured as willpower.  I do think it is possible to change the way a person feels about a perceived burden, by changing the way they understand the burden.  Through perception a person can change what makes them uncomfortable, and therefore reduce the burden, and seemingly improve their willpower.