There comes a moment in every growth journey when inspiration is no longer enough. We may feel motivated, hopeful, and ready for change—but eventually life asks something more of us. Life asks for willingness. Not force. Not struggle. Not perfection. Willingness. The second gateway of personal growth is reclaiming your will—the quiet inner power to choose again, begin again, and follow through on what matters most.
Will Is Not Harshness
Many people misunderstand willpower. They think it means gritting your teeth, pushing harder, or criticizing yourself into change. True will is gentler than that.
Will is the part of you that says:
- I can pray for one minute today.
- I can take one healthy step.
- I can begin where I am.
- I can stop making excuses.
- I can choose peace now.
Sometimes reclaiming your will starts small. Better sixty seconds of spiritual practice each day than one hour once a week. Consistency transforms us more than intensity ever will.
Until I began rereading Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth, I never thought much about “my will.” Recently, I stopped doing my spiritual practice. As a minister, I felt shame and guilt. These are practices I teach, and I value living in integrity.
As I sat with my 13 Months coach, she gently reminded me that I had a great deal to process, and simply being present while allowing my body and spirit to adjust was important. Eventually, my spiritual practice found its legs again. Not all at once. Some days I journaled. Other days I prayed. Slowly, I returned to practice—and discovered it had evolved into something that fits my life even better now.
Remember What You Have Already Done
If you think you lack willpower, look back.
You have already done hard things.
- You learned skills.
- You kept commitments.
- You survived seasons you thought would break you.
- You raised children, built relationships, held jobs, endured heartbreak, and kept going.
The evidence of your strength is already written in your life.
Finish What You Start
One of the greatest drains on the soul is repeatedly abandoning ourselves.
- We start with excitement... then quit.
- We make promises... then break them.
- We dream... then retreat.
Every unfinished promise chips away at self-trust.
But each completed act—no matter how small—restores dignity.
- Finish the walk.
- Make the call.
- Clean the drawer.
- Write the note.
- Say the apology.
- Keep the promise.
- Self-respect is built one kept promise at a time.
It is interesting that in the book, Dan Millman talks about “just do it.” For me, as a person in recovery, it took time to believe I was worth living differently. I had many stops and starts, broken promises to myself, and broken promises to God—as I understood God then. Until one day, I decided: No more. Once the decision was made, my will stepped forward to support it. And as every person in recovery knows—whatever the recovery may be—you choose each day not to return to what once had power over you.
Boundaries Are an Act of Will
Sometimes reclaiming your will means saying no. Not because you are angry. Not because you are selfish. But because your life energy is sacred. You do not owe your time to everything that asks for it. A healthy “no” often creates room for a wholehearted “yes.”
Forgiveness Frees the Will
Dan Millman writes: “Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.”
How much energy is lost wishing yesterday had been different? Forgiveness does not excuse harm. It releases your life from being chained to it. When we forgive, we reclaim the power trapped in resentment. When we let go, our will becomes available again for love, service, and creation.
Love Is the Highest Will
Ernest Holmes reminds us that love is the only reality. Love creates tolerance, understanding, harmony, and peace.
- Will without love becomes control.
- Discipline without love becomes punishment.
- Boundaries without love become walls.
But when love guides the will, our choices become healing.
This Week’s Invitation
Where in your life are you being asked to reclaim your will?
- Begin one small practice?
- Finish something incomplete?
- Set one boundary?
- Forgive one burden?
- Trust yourself again?
Choose one thing. Do it today.
That is how freedom begins.
Blessings on your journey,
Rev. Gayle
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