The Profit and Loss of Will, Part I

Do you have a wealth of will?

If you are like me it's not a simple yes or no answer. Just for fun, let's first look at having a wealth of will from a clear yes or no standpoint.  

When we have a wealth of will we are able to take an idea and turn it into reality.  We are able to finish projects and follow through with promises that we have made.  We are able to stay clear of habits and people that we have deemed unhealthy for ourselves.  We are able to operate from choice rather than from habit.  We are able to step outside of ourselves and think critically about our beliefs, and about the beliefs of our community or nation.  Most importantly, when we have a wealth of will we are able to focus all of our other forms of wealth to fulfill a greater purpose.

That sounds amazing! And so not me too much of the time. I would like it to be though. But what would that even look like in reality? Let's start by comparing something simple like how we spend a Saturday afternoon.

What is the difference between someone who has a wealth of will and someone who does not?

Will is how we manage all of our forms of wealth.  If all else was equal, and two people had 5 free hours on a Saturday afternoon (a wealth of time), the one with a wealth of will would be more likely to take their wealth of time, and invest it for a specific purpose.

If I had a wealth of will, I could use it to take my wealth of time and turn it into a wealth of knowledge by choosing to spend that time taking a class or reading.  I could turn it into a wealth of health by choosing to spend that time exercising, preparing a healthy meal, going to a 12-step meeting, or relaxing.  I could turn it into a wealth of money by picking up some extra shifts at work.

I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with not intentionally using our will to invest our time, or our other types of wealth, however, there is a benefit to making a conscious choice about it.

A person without a wealth of will well most likely unconsciously squander away their Saturday. Maybe they got benefit from the partial choices they made, or the partial plans they followed through with. And there is nothing wrong with that, but if come Monday morning they are feeling unfulfilled about how they spent their weekend, then like a person on a shopping trip who runs out of money, it's time to make some changes or risk further debt.

I think that strengthening our wealth of will is one of the most important things we could do for ourselves. Consider the more extreme alternative...

What does it look like when we don't have a wealth of will?

When we do not have a wealth of will we don’t seem to be able to do much with our lives or with a specific area of our lives.  We constantly tell others we will do something, but do not follow through. We complain about problems or people but never seem to be able to do anything about it.  We are not solution-oriented.  When we have a lack of will we suffer from an addiction, or a constant series of behaviors that we say we want to stop but fail to do so. We buy products that we don’t need, want, or would approve of if we stopped to think about how or where they were made or what those products did to our bodies, animals, other people or the environment. When we do not have a wealth of will we lend our other types of wealth carelessly.  We expend our precious time, spirit, or energy on corporations, products, causes, or people who do not deserve it.  When we lack will we more easily get swept into the will of others.

Yikes! I really don't want that for myself or for anyone. Yet, so often I don't know how to get from that above mentioned state of debt to a state of prosperity when it comes to my will. Life seems to be more like a delicate balancing act, fluctuating between a type of profit and loss in will.  

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of constantly falling into the rut of living like that.

I believe that if we can understand how we get to this point, then we can understand how to better manage it and prevent it. We need to thoroughly understand how we create debt in our will.  Once we understand that, the solution to creating a wealth of will becomes clearer.  

In the second part of this blog series, The Profit and Loss of Will: Part II I will detail how we create that debt in our will through 

• expectations
• holding on
• ignorance
• avoidance

I believe that once we understand the proverbial profit and losses in our supply of will then we can take that knowledge and use it to live our lives with more direction and purpose.