Willpower: The Crowning Principle of Manhood

Suggestions that a man should exercise his willpower have fallen out of favor as society trends more toward encouraging people to satisfy their instincts and desires immediately rather than to wait for a more opportune time to do so. Willpower requires a man to exercise his judgment and to forego immediate benefits in favor of greater long-term gains. We have all been endowed with a free will that distinguishes man from lesser mammals. Modern society might encourage men to show their sensitive sides and to be tolerant of others’ uses and abuses of their own free wills, but popular culture continues to view men who have harnessed their own free will and willpower as paragons of manhood.Man’s physical strength comes from musculature that can be developed and improved through physical exercise. Analogously, man’s mental strength can be developed and improved through exercising and conditioning his willpower. A man who had gained control over his willpower is better able to manage his thoughts and to avoid distractions. He checks his emotions and responds to emotional stress without falling apart. This does not mean that he is emotionally void. Rather, a man who is emotionally mature displays an understanding of how emotions affect his actions. He makes choices that are driven by the best combination of emotions and cold logic. A man who exercises his willpower quashes his impulsive actions that might lead to adverse outcomes. We have often seen advice about counting to ten before doing something that might be perceived as irrational. A man who exercises willpower will count to ten and beyond and will act only if a specific action is the best of all available choices. A man who exercises willpower also controls his own time and performance and does not allow himself to be distracted or drawn away from a task at hand.The Last Resort Recovery Center near Austin works with men whose willpower has been compromised by drugs and alcohol. Please call us at 512-360-3600 if you feel you have lost control over your own will power when it comes to drugs and alcohol.