The Secret of Success

Once you have mastered this, you will find that you are no more tired when running at full pressure than when you are merely crawling along—this is one of the Secrets of Success.

To many people, the term "the Will" merely means a firm steadfastness of mind, similar to determination or fixity of purpose. To others, it means something like desire. To others, it means "the power of choice," and so on. But to occultists original: "occultists"; in this context, Atkinson refers to practitioners of New Thought or "hidden" mental sciences popular in the early 20th century, the Will is something far more than these things. It is a Vital Power—an active force of the mind—capable of dominating and ruling the other mental faculties. It can even project itself beyond the individual’s mental organs and affect others who come within its field of influence. This is the sense in which we use the word "Will" in this lesson.

I have no desire to lead the reader into the dim realms of metaphysics, or even into the difficult but still arduous paths of scientific psychology, but I must acquaint you with the fact that this thing we call Will Power exists, as well as its relation to the "I." Of all the mental faculties or powers, the Will is the closest to the "I" or Ego of the person. It is the Sword of Power held in the hand of the Ego. One may mentally separate themselves from other mental faculties and states, but when one thinks of the "I," they are bound to think of it as possessing that power we call Will. The Will is a primal, original power of the "I" that remains with it until the end. It is the force with which one rules (or should rule) their mental and physical kingdom—the power through which one’s Individuality manifests itself upon the outside world.

Desire is the great motivating power that incites the Will to action in life. As I have shown you, the action of the Will without the motive power of desire is unthinkable. Therefore, it follows that the cultivation and right direction of desire carries with it the channel for the expression and manifestation of the Will. You cultivate certain desires so that the Will may flow out through those channels. By cultivating desire along certain lines, you are making channels through which the Will may flow as it rushes toward expression and manifestation. So, be sure to map out your "desire channels" clearly by creating the proper mental images of what you want. Make sure the desire channels are deep and well-defined by the force of repeated attention and autosuggestion original: "autosuggestion"; the practice of influencing one's own mind through repetitive thought or affirmations to change habits or abilities.

History is filled with examples of people who have developed the use of the Will. I say "developed the use" rather than "developed the Will," because a person does not develop their Will—their Will is always there, ready for use. Instead, a person develops their ability to use the Will and perfects themselves in its use. I have frequently used the following illustration and have not been able to improve upon it: A person is like a trolley car, with the raised trolley pole of their mind reaching out to the "live wire" of the Will.