It takes effort, real effort. Time is another factor, but one can just simply clock in (not really doing the task at hand). It takes, above all, heart. My good friend of many years, Jack, once told me, “Talent is cheap; will is everything.” Jack is an older gentleman, artist and teacher. He taught me the craft of drawing and painting in my formative years. Jack was also a national tennis player among many other things. He understood that talent is a factor, but it isn’t the thing to bet on. Our will cannot be taught. Our heart cannot be strengthened by anybody else. We are the driver. We decide to push. Nobody else is behind the wheel. Sure, people can order us around. Yes, people can influence us, and yes, people can make suggestions. The fact of the matter is nobody can make us act. We act when we decide to, barring coercion. This want that propels us is a mysterious little thing.
I often wonder where will or desire come from. Is it just an evolutionary trait to climb up the animal hierarchy? Is it a function so human beings will propel the human race further along (biological imperative)? Is it a window into the soul? I believe it’s a combination of all three things. I believe that while there are plenty of scientific answers; there are also transcendent things not perceivable to the human condition.
I don’t know what makes me want to subject myself to contest. I don’t know why I want to put my words and images out there for all to see. I know that I do it. I know that some people have seen me lose, and some have seen me win. I know that some people like my images and words, while others hate them. Yet, I keep on trudging along with a burning desire to achieve.
I’ve had my heart broken a few times in my life. I’ve been heartbroken by putting myself out in the world for judgment. It’s the only way to achieve though. We must endure the trial by fire in order to become more. Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll win. It doesn’t mean you’ll achieve your hopes and dreams. It doesn’t mean you’ll be rich in the worldly sense. So, why even bother? Why try if you risk pain and sorrow?
We try, because we can. What’s the alternative to not trying? I’d say it’s akin to death. If we don’t try then we may as well pack it up now, donate our belongings, curl up in a pine box and die. We try, because we must. Regret based on doing bad is worthwhile. Regret based on doing nothing is dreadful. We may not ever grasp, in our lifetime, why or how our will exists. We are aware that it is though. So, we have decisions to make. We can make decisions with our will in mind or ignore this mysterious little thing.
I believe to ignore this mysterious little thing is a big glaring mistake. If we ignore this aspect of ourselves then we deny our very soul. We then become a stranger to ourselves, and spit on the gift that is being. So, we endure the beatings. We push through the hellish road of pain and punishment. Sometimes we get what we want, and very often we don’t. I would offer that the sweet doesn’t taste as good without the bitter. That’s certainly one consolation we’ve heard before. I would also say that it’s a good thing to even try, but that doesn’t really satisfy us. Let me offer something else: You must follow your heart or you may as well die now. I’m dead serious about that. Winning and losing are very real things. I’m not denying it, but winning and losing are material. The soul is immaterial. That being said; winning and losing is not consequential to the end game. The end game is acting with heart. We can only truly live if we acknowledge our will. I’m not ready to die yet so there is only one way to be.
Talent is cheap; will is everything. The will is beyond material. Talent is inherent so I don’t spend much time on it. We try to achieve gains in this world, but we often forget the driving force. Will is everything. To have our will and act on it is to be alive. I aspire to be truly alive. I’m not here to sleep walk through existence. We can set the alarm, wake up and do it now. So, I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I hope you are here with me. I am and you are; so let’s be. Declare yourself alive, and stand up for all to see. Act upon your will, and know yourself. There’s no other way to be. Jack was right, “will is everything.”