"Do or do not...there is no try" - Yoda
Well, here we are...in the year 2013! Many people didn't think we'd make it to see this year, mostly because of Hollywood and the Mayan prophecies, etc., but I'm glad the "doom-and-gloomers" were wrong.
Being that this is my first post of the year, I wanted to talk about motivation and will, hopefully to flesh out the contrasts between them so that people don't continue to confuse the two. Inasmuch as New Years resolutions are fairly ubiquitous, and unfortunately are rarely maintained, I think this post may prove timely, especially since most New Years resolutions almost never last beyond February.
Also, since this is primarily a magickal blog, and in light of the Powers of the Sphinx (To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Be Silent), a more workable grasp and definition of the concept of Will is in order.
When humans are making decisions, it is usually in response to a stressor that has occurred prior to the making of that decision. This stressor is the catalyst that creates the conditions required for a decision to be made. Hunger, loneliness/horny-ness, and financial instability are some of the more common stressors, but there are many others which are as varied as the situations within which they arise.
After encountering a stressor, humans form intentions designed to neutralize that stressor. Decisions are then made, and action flows from those decisions.
If no action flows from those decisions, then they really aren't decisions, they're still just intentions. One can have every iota of intent that exists, but can take no real action until he decides to do something - and then visualizes exactly what he plans to do.
Sometimes this entire process occurs very quickly, and other times more slowly, depending upon the nature of the stressor, the degree of stress perceived, and upon the capabilities, temperament, and resources of the person involved.
To illustrate, let's create a basic flow chart of the process of development of all human actions:
Stressor ---> Intention ---> Decision ---> Countering Actions
Now let's modify the terms used:
Motivator (or motivation) ---> Visualized Intention ---> Will ---> Countering Actions
Using this flow chart, we can see that the motivator/motivation comes two steps *before* the will to do something about it, not after. This distinction is important for making the overall point, which I'll get to next.
Motivation is largely an emotional response to a stressor, but people who don't really understand the concept of will usually use motivation as their fuel for empowering whatever actions they intend to take. Since motivation is more of an emotional response, and all emotions are based around possibly biased or flawed perceptions of one's environment (along with the people in it), motivation is an inferior fuel for action when compared to will.
Will is the ability to stick to a decision made, and therefore perform all countering actions to neutralize stressors, completely regardless of the emotional environment. It is a "child" of motivation, but it is also more powerful than motivation simply because it is unemotional. Will is mental, not emotional. In terms of dimensions, will occupies the mental domain, but not the astral, material, or emotional domains. You cannot "feel" will (emotional), you cannot "sense" will (astral), and you cannot "touch" will (material), yet it exists because it is made apparent through the presence and performance of action.
The ancient Egyptian myth of the war between Horus and Set brings some of this to light. Horus defeated Set once he (with the help of Thoth), became "thought itself" (will) and couldn't be affected by the attacks of Set (stressors) any longer.
Anyway, I believe the reason that many people's New Year's resolutions don't usually stick past February is because they've conflated will with motivation.
When a person fails to perform actions that they have intended to perform, it's usually because something in their environment has affected their motivation. They'll usually say or think things like "I don't feel like doing X right now", and then they allow that emotional response to cripple their will.
But, the emotional component (motivation) has already played its role once a decision has been made, and need not be recalled, nor should it be if one intends to effectively train their will by maintaining consistent action. If one only uses motivation to perform action, their actions will be as inconsistent as the emotional component that drives them.
True will (not necessarily in the Thelemic sense of the phrase) is always absolute and consistent. Motivation, by its very nature, is neither absolute nor consistent.
Once a decision is made, or the will is formed, and as that will manifests as action, that will doesn't (or shouldn't) need motivation anymore, so to wait for or to require motivation is an inferior response, is out of the proper sequence of the manifestation of action, and will eventually lead to the failure to take action (and the abandonment of the resolution).
So, if one is to learn how to develop the will, one must first learn to perform action for neutralizing stressors regardless of the presence of motivation (or emotion). Obviously this is easier said than done, but if one (especially if that one is a magician) intends to "conquer" his life, this lesson is vital.
In conclusion, if you intend to lose weight, to stop smoking, to spend more time with your kids, or whatever your resolutions have been, once you make the decision to do that, let that decision be enough to continue to do it. Focus on the advantages that all corresponding actions will grant you.
