Willpower

We admire those who have a strong will. But in the same way that cleverness can only be wise with the right application, a strong will requires the right application to be beneficial. It is a combination of decisiveness and endurance. If it is applied toward the right objects, with the right timing and in the right way, having a strong will can help us to bring good things to being. We call the wrong timing being foolhardy, where a person could have something good if they just had a little patience. Also to impose things on other people's will unnecessarily isn't a good practice. We consider this stubbornness. If a person chooses to pursue the wrong things, a strong will can be detrimental. This can be observed in political debates and in business. We use adages such as "Riding a dead horse." for this practice.

A strong will is advantageous when applied the right way. Endurance also goes two ways. There are things that no one should put up with. But when applied toward a good choice in a good way, endurance can make a strong will virtuous. So having a strong will is admirable when a person uses patience and endurance along with it.

The opposite of this is a complacent person. This is the trait that just doesn't care about anything. We see both a lack of endurance and a lack of interest in accomplishment in this state of mind. At it's extreme it can be neglectful but is content being that way. Contentment is also one of those things that need the right application to be good. We get what we settle for.

A complacent person shouldn't be confused with a weak willed person. This person wants to accomplish something but lacks endurance. Concerning health, most people know what they need to do but just can't seem to pass on the chips and television. It is the most stressful state of mind and this person envies both those who have a strong will and those who are complacent. There are always areas where we feel this way but to break out of it requires determination and endurance. Sometimes it has to do with learning to make the right choices and in other instances a person needs to have more endurance.