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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Molloy chapter.

In the presence of trepidation and danger, the man can sometimes find himself defenseless and confused. Faced with attacks from all angles, his prior schooling and experience fails to prove itself worthy in the heat of battle. Suddenly, amidst the thick haze of panic, a spark ignites an ancient shield of fire. The man’s enduring willpower proves to be his greatest feat. His once latent defense mechanism evolves itself into a blazing weapon. By wielding the power of will, he realizes his true potential; through this, he becomes invincible.

The thirst for power drives many men mad as they search for a physical achievement that will never exist. We run around day to day turning over stones in our quest for glory. The reality is that what we are looking for has been under our noses the whole time.

People think that in order to be truly successful, you must be blessed with talent at birth. Yet, time after time I witness the man with the stronger will surpass the one with the natural gift. It is a shame to see those who are blessed become conceited by their own abilities that they forget their greatest attribute as a human: willpower. Whether it was given to us by a divine force, or merely a coincidence, each and every human being has the full ability to achieve greatness. This of course begs the question: “Why do so many fail if we were all born to be great?”

A common misconception is that failure is a bad thing. No matter how many times you’ve been told this by a teacher or a parent, it never seems to do any good when you lose a game or fail a test. It is normal to feel poorly about a loss. In fact, it is that very emotion of defeat that fuels the flame of willpower to succeed. Too often people are discouraged by their failures and let those pitfalls oust their will to try again. The difference between the successful people and the losers is that the successful will lose 100 times over in pursuit of the 1 win; a loser will take the loss and give up instead of driving themselves forward to do better next time.

As a child, I quickly discovered the dangers of certain words and the harm they can cause to a person’s will. Of all the curses and malicious things I heard people say, one word that defiles the very purpose of our existence made me cringe every time it passed my ears: “can’t” has been adulterating the minds of youths and adults alike since the beginning of time. I feel that there is nothing a person can’t do. There are only things we won’t do, and things we will.

To truly unlock the power of will, one must accept himself for who he is, the good and bad. He cannot be discouraged by the harsh words of others who hide in the shadows of their own fears. He must be confident and know that no matter what the goal, he can and will achieve it somehow and someway. If you will it, then you will.

I'm a writer, fighter, lover, and a learner. I've got nothing to show for my sights but my skin. My experiences have shaped me and my failures have saved me. Other than all that, I simply hope I can inspire someone.