Determination is Power

This essay is about determination. My purpose in writing is to inspire you to be a person of determination....

Determination is defined as

a: the act of deciding definitely and firmly; the result of such an act of decision

or the definition I like even better:

b : the power or habit of deciding definitely and firmly

The POWER of deciding definitely and firmly. So then we can say that Determination is Power....the power to overcome the obstacles in your path...the power to complete the task...vanquish the foe....finish the job....reach the mountaintop....whatever the task before you may be.

That definition also said that determination was a habit...so to exercise the POWER of determination, we need to make determination a habit...

Think of some people in history that we would describe as persons of determination...habitually determined people..

Sir Edmond Hilary reached the peak of Mt Everest on his 2nd try...not his first.

Thomas Edison failed over 1000 times before producing a viable light bulb..

Christopher Columbus spent YEARS trying to find a financial backer for his voyage to the western hemisphere...

After surrendering the Philippines, General McArthur spent two and a half years battling the Japanese before he could come back to the Philippines, wade ashore, and proudly declare, "People of the Philippines, I have returned."

Richard Nixon ran for the White House twice before he won...

Bill Clinton lost a race for the U.S. House, and then won a race for Arkansas state attorney general. He won the governor's race, then lost the re-election bid, but he was re-elected governor, and stayed there until he was elected to the presidency....quite a yo yo political career...but he had the last laugh....and he certainly had determination.

Think of Lance Armstrong, one of the most successful cyclists in history, determining to overcome a cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain before being detected, and returning to win the Tour D France for a record breaking 5 times.

King David of the ancient Israelites was determined to knock the giant's head off; and he did it.

The list goes on and on...we're certainly not hurting for examples to follow...

In my own life, I look to my father, who was a man of determination, and his father before him...

When I was a young boy, my father had a favorite poem he often quoted, and required each of his six children to memorize...the poem is by Edgar Guest.....

It Couldn't Be Done

Edgar Guest

Somebody said that it couldn't be done,

But he with a chuckle replied

That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one

Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.

So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin

On his face. If he worried he hid it.

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn't be done, and he did it.

Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;

At least no one ever has done it";

But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,

And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.

With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,

Without any doubting or quiddit,

He started to sing as he tackled the thing

That couldn't be done, and he did it.

There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,

There are thousands to prophesy failure;

There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,

The dangers that wait to assail you.

But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,

Just take off your coat and go to it;

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing

That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.

Now at this point, you may be saying,"Well, that's all well and good...great positive thinking and all that...but how can we control the forces around us that keep us from achieving our goals?

Well I want you to see that determination is something YOU can control...it's internal, not external...it's mental, not material...spiritual, not physical...it's making up your mind and not wavering from it....as I said before, determination is power....the power of the made up mind...

Make up your mind to believe that it is the SPIRITUAL that ALWAYS determines the material.

Make up your mind that there is a great power within you....that power is determination.

determine to be successful...

determine to be more educated....

determine to be more healthy..

determine to be determined...

If you take nothing else away from this, remember these three words

Determination is Power

Set your sights on whatever you want to achieve and go for it....see yourself as successful in whatever the endeavor...and determination will be the power that enables you to overcome any obstacles in your path...