In 2013, researchers from Stanford University published a work in the prestigious journal Neuron where they identified an area of the brain (the ” anterior cingulate cortex “, located approximately 5 centimeters behind the nose) as the responsible area, or the one that induces we have the strong will to persevere in the face of obstacles that are presented to us.

Previous work had already identified this brain space as the area that becomes involved when there are changes in behavior, or when it is necessary to decide on the paths to follow to achieve a specific goal.

Assuming that the vast majority of human beings have good intentions and purposes about themselves and their immediate environment, what determines that, no matter how willing, there can come a time when they falter?

The act of human willpower is related to a mental energy that allows to maintain control, as if it were a flight controller of an airplane that maintains the course towards the desired goal.

However, as the human being is not an infallible machine, the involvement of emotions causes self-control to be lost, and thus despair and doubts about one’s own potential can appear.

Regardless of the objectives that a person sets, there is always the possibility of stimulating the will.

Something frequent is to confuse it with the desire, as if the will were its synonym. However, the issue is more complex. Surely many have experienced wanting to achieve certain goals, and yet not having enough will to achieve it. A concrete example is diets, or starting an exercise program on a regular basis: it is abandoned soon after. To achieve this, it takes the will.

The will is self-determined

Willpower is non-transferable; therefore, it is a self-determination of each person , who must necessarily be fully involved in pursuit of the goal.

The fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of the final result is what leaves the vast majority in an uncomfortable comfort zone.

Having determination, firmness and persistence are three of the characteristics common to people who have the will on their part to carry out even seemingly unattainable challenges. Examples of all kinds are known: amputees who run marathons, elite guitarists without hands, painters who make art with their mouth or feet, and those who have lost everything by some unfortunate episode, and have completely reassembled in a short time. This is putting the will at the service of life and moving on.

The opposite is what more than 95% of people fall into, which is inaction, complaint and victimization.