The famous quote as the topic of the essay says it all. If we have determination and willpower for one defined goal in life, then nothing can stop us from achieving success. Though, in some people this quality is infused by God and some have to develop it by practice, if we have this then nothing can stop us from succeeding in life. Though one thing is clear that the type of achievement depends upon the goal that we have defined for ourself and our determination. Also, one should always remember that the journey of life is not smooth, failures are part of it and we should learn from the failures rather than cribbing over the situation. Once we are determined and have disciplined our mind, we will see a great transformation.
Our quest for success and happiness begins with right intentions. It culminates when we reach our chosen goals. What sustains our effort in between is our determination. What carries us towards our goals is determination. If mankind has set foot on the moon or is planning to land on Mars or another planet someday, it is because some people, somewhere, are determined to make it happen, with firm conviction.
Determination means the firmness of purpose or intention. It is the strength of our will and focus to remain steadfast in our effort. It means having the ability to stay on course, remain focussed on goals, stand up to the problems and obstacles with conviction, stay fixed and firm about our decisions, solutions and intentions and apply the power of will to dream and desires with resolve, grit, fortitude, faith and courage.
Determination is one of Nature’s mysterious mechanisms, which is not confined to humans only. Animals also show great determination to protect themselves from enemies and threats and survive against odds. There is no doubt that determination is embedded in advanced life forms, which keeps them life-oriented and survive in difficult and varied environments. You may call it by any name, willpower, resolve, tenacity, resilience or determination, in the end what makes the difference between success and failure is the strength of your will and the power of your determination. Some people may achieve success by luck, but most have it by determination only. Some people give up easily, while some fight until the end.
In human beings, it appears that determination is deeply ingrained as part of their survival instinct and self-expression. However, it may not equally manifest in all due to various influences. We can see that people vary in their determination to pursue their goals and desires. Some people easily give up, and some go to the end. Some people do not try at all, while some never give up until they finish what they start. Such differences are mainly due to the differences in their thinking and attitude and due to various intrinsic and extrinsic factors, such as beliefs, social and cultural influences, fear, self-esteem, the strength of the desires, the rewards or the pay-off involved, etc. It suggests that while determination may form part of our natural instinct to survive, it may also be learned and sustained by conscious effort and by changing our thinking and attitude.
The Bhagavad Gita considers some resolve evil and demonic, arising from the dark nature of human consciousness. In the end, it does no good to anyone and should be avoided. That resolve is good which does not resort to evil methods and does not lead to negative consequences. This essay does not speak about how to cultivate determination, but its importance in life and in accomplishing tasks.
In India, unbelievable success has been achieved by many great personalities because of their strong determination towards a goal. One such example of a strong soul is Mahatma Gandhi who had lived his entire life to fulfil just one dream, of freeing India from the shackles of British rule. He lived with this passion of converting his dream into reality and got success. Some more examples of determined people and their success stories in India are Kumar Birla, Lakshmi Mittal, Dhirubhai Ambani, Azim Premji, Pallonji Mistry, Sammer Gehlaut, Jamsetji Tata and the list continues. These are not extraordinary people but what is common to all of them is their strong will to achieve greatness in life. Day and night they all had just one dream and they worked towards the same.
If there is one gift that we can give to ourselves in life to be what we wanted to be, it is the power of determination. Without it we are a mere passive spectator in the drama of life. If there is one quality that makes a difference between a winner and a loser or a leader and a follower, it is the power of determination. Without it, we may dream wild dreams, but will not be able to accomplish much in life. If we have determination, nothing can stop us and deter us from following our course of action to achieve goals or realise our dreams.
Obstacles may arise and obstruct our progress. They may delay the success, disturb us temporarily, and may even mislead us, but they cannot withstand the power of determination. It is the power that we generate within ourselves to remain committed to our path and conviction, and march towards cherished goals. Determination is a strength and valuable resource in itself. If you have it, you can aim for the stars. You are successful or unsuccessful to the extent you are determined and committed to your goals. With determination, we can accomplish many goals in our lives. With faith in God and confidence in yourself, and with strong determination, you can achieve the impossible, realise the most difficult dreams and achieve excellence and incredible success in your life. Remember the aforementioned formula. Write it down and frequently refer to it until the idea is firmly implanted in your mind. The first one leads you to success, and the second one to nowhere but into a fantasy land.
With determination, we can crush the mountains of fear and doubts in ourselves. We can find our way through the most difficult situations. Determination does not mean you will be insensitive to the reality of the situation. A determined person is also an adaptable and flexible person. He is not interested in being tough for the sake of toughness, but to overcome obstacles and reach his goals. Hence, he remains open-minded about possibilities and opportunities, but firm in his commitment and convictions. Discipline and determination go together. If you have them, you become unstoppable.
The most important and direct consequence of determination is the power of focus. Perseverance, or the will to continue in the face of adversity, is another consequence. Faith in your goals and your abilities stems from your determination. Discipline and determination go together. Without discipline and self-control it is difficult to stick to a path of action and pursue it until the end. You can also strengthen your resolve by constantly remembering your goals or your purpose.
Our determination greatly depends upon the strength of our desires or how badly we need something, the clarity of goals, the sense of purpose and our mental attitude. It also depends upon endurance for pain and suffering and our ability to manage ambiguity and uncertainty. Determined people strengthen their resolve when things are not going in their favour. They may be flexible in their plans but remain focussed upon their goals until they achieve them. If there is one quality we all should choose to achieve success in our life, it is determination.
Though determination is a simple thing, it comes with practice and then it can transform your life as well as the life of people around you. To become a determined person, first of all you will have to discipline your life on a daily basis as everyone has just 24 hours in a day and what makes the difference is how you utilise these hours.
Then set one goal in life and mark the way to achieve it. Write down somewhere that there is no shortcut to
success. Your every action should be oriented towards the same goal. Keep your mindset very positive and be determined even when you face failures. Consider failures as the hurdles but not as the full stop on the way to success. If you keep moving in the right direction with a positive mindset and determination, you will come out as a winner.
“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life—think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, That is way great spiritual giants are produced.” Swami Vivekananda has shown us the right way.