I mentioned in last week's column that many resources require an effort of willpower --; first.
Mustering the energy to get a project done assumes the will to get the thing done. Devoting money to a purpose requires the will to withhold it from others. Spending time on a task requires the will to shut off the TV and other distractions.
I have learned about myself that the recognition of the need for something is never the final word in whether it happens--;that all depends on whether I want it enough to get it done. Whether I have the will to get it done.
Or, really, let's be honest here: Mostly it depends on whether my wife has the will to override my will to watch the ballgame and get it done instead.
I was thinking about this idea of willpower a great deal while watching the basketball playoffs this week. In short, the defending NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, are playing a very good team from Oklahoma City. Golden State is led by a young man named Stephen Curry who can make shots from just about anywhere on the court. Oklahoma City is led by a young man named Russell Westbrook who is strong and fast and quick, and has a great skill set for a professional player. It's really a wonderful matchup.
What's most interesting to me about the contest, which Oklahoma City leads 3 games to 2 as I write this, is the psychology of willpower going on between these two stars. Curry is, to borrow a military analogy, a sniper--;he shoots you from far away, has the ability to be devastating, but if you can take away his shot, his ability to affect the battle is limited. Of course, over the course of the last two seasons, not many teams have been able to take his shot away--;that's why he's the MVP.
Westbrook, on the other hand, is different. I think of him as a combination of infantry and cavalry: He can run over you, he can run through you, he can run past you, but, in the moment, he is also capable of deadly shooting.
So far, the contest of wills has belonged to Westbrook. The sniper, Curry, can break an opponent's will--;just when they think they're in a good position, he goes on a little tear (in one game, he scored 15 points in under two minutes) to push the opponent off of their position. But, if the other team can withstand that barrage, they can usually neutralize the sniper.
As far as Westbrook goes, in their three wins, whenever Oklahoma City needed a play, Westbrook was there. Sometimes it was from far away, but most of the time, he went straight at the guy who was trying to defend him, and dared that player to stop him--;frequently Curry. They rarely did.
Westbrook is imposing his will on the opponent, and that is why Oklahoma City is ahead in the series, and why I am predicting that they will win this series (we'll all know whether I'm right by the time you read this). When someone imposes their will on a scenario, they gain ground, they change the conditions of the battle, and then they break their opponents' will. And all the greats had this ability --; Tiger Woods in his prime, Michael Jordan, Messi, and our very own John Elway.
And, you know what? It is also the defining ability of so many of the greatest leaders in business, science (think Steve Jobs), government and, of course, the military.
If you want to really accomplish great things, then I suggest you get used to the idea of imposing your will, even if it's only on your own, weaker self. So, shut off that TV (or Facebook, or whatever your distraction is) and get to work!
from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.comhttp://arvadapress.com/stories/To-accomplish-great-things-impose-your-will-on-you,214828?branding=15
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