What is determination and why is it so important for success?

Definition

If we look into the encyclopedic dictionary, we will see the following definition.

Purposefulness is a positive moral-volitional quality of an individual, which manifests itself in the form of the ability to set clear and achievable tasks and goals.

That is, determination is the concentration of feelings, thoughts and actions on persistent movement towards one’s goal and its achievement.

In your own words, a purposeful person is someone who:

• knows exactly what he wants;
• understands how high the probability is that the goal will be achieved;
• knows how to keep the final goal in mind and not switch to something else;
• has strong convictions that he will not give up even under pressure from circumstances;
• systematically moves towards the realization of his task, regardless of obstacles.

It's ok to accept defeat

Feeling sad about not coping with a challenge is a standard human reaction. Everyone faces failure in life sooner or later. The main thing in this case is not to give up on your goal or dream, but to accept defeat, draw conclusions, and try again, but under different circumstances. For example, if it weren’t for the persistence of JK Rowling, who received 12 rejections from publishers, we would never have read Harry Potter. The writer achieved her goal, but it took a little more time and patience.

Qualities of a purposeful person

When they talk about determination, they mean a number of psychological qualities:

1. Discipline. This is a character trait that gives a person the ability to plan his activities and strictly adhere to this plan. Ability to set priorities and consistently resolve emerging issues.
2. Determination. Carries the skill to independently, timely and competently make responsible decisions and persistently implement them.
3. Hard work. A trait that manifests itself in a person’s positive attitude towards the work process.
4. Self-control. Allows you to achieve goals by taking control of your emotions, thoughts and behavior. The ability to not succumb to momentary temptations, keeping the true goal and values ​​in mind.
5. Persistence. The ability to overcome all difficulties and not stray from the intended path when faced with possible obstacles. This quality can be compared to the first steps of a child who falls and gets up every time to continue his attempts.
6. Strength of will. Consciously activated energy within the individual, which is directed towards achieving the desired result.
7. Mindfulness. This is the perception of reality here and now, the ability to notice and recognize what attention is directed to.

Examples from life

Determination can manifest itself in any area and undertaking: business, sports, education, etc. This character trait helps to quickly achieve results and improve your standard of living, for example:

• a purposeful person achieves great results in his professional activities, quickly climbs the career ladder, receiving recognition from management and material incentives;
• in sports, such a person quickly achieves good results and takes prizes in competitions;
• determination helps to maintain motivation in studies and master new material more effectively;
• in creativity, this quality helps to bring the work started to the end: complete a painting, write a book, a piece of music, etc.

Determination is often confused with fanaticism. But it's not the same thing. I will explain the fundamental difference between them with an example.

Imagine two people going to the gym to gain muscle mass. One is raving about the results and doesn’t get off the exercise machines all night long. Another clearly set a course for getting himself in order for the summer season, regularly attends training, not forgetting about other areas of his life - family, work, leisure.

What is the difference? A fanatic limits himself to any pleasure and cannot think about anything other than his goal. For a purposeful person, his task is also important; he keeps it in his head and gradually moves towards it, but at the same time maintains his sanity and can make adjustments to his route if circumstances require it.

Examples of determination can be seen in the autobiography of any successful person. Let's remember the story of Li Ka-shing - the richest man in China and one of the most influential investors in Asia. At the age of 12, he was left as the only breadwinner in the family and was forced to quit his studies and put up with any hard work.

The only thing the father left behind to his son was a love of learning and determination. Ka-Shing set himself the goal of becoming a rich man and did not stop studying in his free time. Now we can see the fruits of his perseverance.

Is it possible to develop this quality?

In psychology, determination has a dual nature. To a certain extent, this personality quality can be inherent in us from birth, just like temperament. In this case, one would assume that goal-oriented parents would have similar children. But this is not entirely true.

If you do not make some efforts and do not use the right methods of education, the necessary inclinations will remain untapped potential.

Purposefulness is fully acquired with experience, environment, education and self-education.

Let's consider how to develop it in yourself and what methods there are for this.

In any situation, have a plan B

Tune in to the positive, but don’t rule out a bad outcome to the situation. Have several options for the development of events to be prepared for anything. For example, a student doesn’t know physics well and is afraid of a test. This is the most difficult test for him. What to do? Plan A is to try to prevent the problem by reviewing the topics with a classmate. Plan B is to accept the possible bad outcome and figure out how to fix it. For example, get a high grade in the next lesson. The same principle can be applied when searching for a job. If a specialist does not have enough experience and skills, he can either improve them by taking courses, or agree to work from scratch, but for a low salary.

To create a plan “B”, you need to understand the problem, formulate it into tasks, think through ways to solve them and choose the best option. You will learn more about this technique from the video with psychologist and career guidance specialist Adukar Anna Isaenko.

How to become purposeful

One of the main reasons for undeveloped determination is banal laziness, which, in turn, is born from a lack of motivation. Why are we not motivated enough? Most likely because we chose our target incorrectly.

This is where a frequent problem arises when we give up on something we started halfway through and become disappointed in the task at hand and in ourselves.

Therefore, the first milestone that is important to pass on the path to becoming purposeful is making the right choice. He will set you up for a long and persistent struggle for your goal.

To understand what is true for you and what is false, that is, imposed by society, you should listen to yourself more often, study yourself, your thoughts and desires.

You can read about how to set goals correctly in the article.

Thus, choosing the right goal is already half the battle on the path to determination. But what to do next?

1. Believe in yourself. Often, self-doubt prevents us from achieving results. Obstacles and competition frighten you, you give up and the initial passion disappears. Remember that there is no victory without struggle, and the one who walks will master the road.
2. Learn to prioritize. In order not to scatter your energy, you need to be able to distinguish the important from the unimportant, the urgent from what can wait, and also get rid of activities that can be called a waste of time.
3. Plan. It is difficult to achieve a goal when there is no clear action plan. Break big tasks into smaller ones and allow yourself breaks.
4. Learn to concentrate. This means reacting less to irritating factors and constantly keeping the main goal in mind. Don't waste time on things that don't fit into the master plan.
5. Come up with ways to motivate. Some people are helped by visualization, others imagine the moment of achieving the goal and their feelings at the same time. Try rewarding yourself for taking small steps.
6. Overcome your own weaknesses. Not everyone is ready to develop. Many strive to be better than others, but the one who can surpass himself always wins. Test the boundaries of your comfort zone and go a millimeter beyond its limits. And so on step by step.

Don't be too overconfident

Being confident is a good trait of a successful person, but being overly confident is not always healthy. It is a mistake to imagine that you are the only irreplaceable person who should by default have access to all the delights, achievements and awards of the world. The higher you fly, the more painful it is to fall. Any loss in this case will be perceived too painfully. It’s easy to give up, but it’s more difficult to gain strength and start anew. Therefore, evaluate your strength fairly. Giving up volleyball forever without qualifying for the university team is not entirely correct. You can continue training and try again later when you are more prepared physically and mentally.

How to raise sense of purpose in a child

Earlier I mentioned that determination is largely determined by proper upbringing. Regardless of what genes are in the child and what environment will shape his personality in the future, the primary criterion in upbringing is always the parents.

How to make sure your child grows up purposeful? He should see a similar example of behavior. If a parent spends hours lecturing about how important it is to reach a goal, but at the same time retreats from completing their tasks at the first obstacle, there will be no point.

The child must not only know how to do it, but also have before his eyes the practical application of this knowledge using the example of his main authorities - his parents.

So the advice is simple. To raise a purposeful child, develop self-control and willpower, make specific plans and always achieve them. And the child will follow your example.

Accept that there are no perfect people

Ardent perfectionism sometimes prevents a person from overcoming obstacles. The question haunts me: “How is this possible, since I do everything correctly and perfectly?” It’s difficult to come to terms with this; a person becomes fixated on difficulties and so on in a circle. Why drive yourself into a dead end? Nobody's perfect. It's normal to make mistakes, to not know how to cope with a difficulty. But you can survive this by at least starting with accepting your imperfection.

Useful books and courses

I suggest you read books on self-development that will help maintain motivation in difficult times:

• "To hell with all of it! Go ahead and do it!”, Richard Branson;
• "Drive. What really motivates us”, Daniel Pink;
• “Try it - it will work! When was the last time you did something for the first time?”, Seth Godin;
• “The subconscious can do anything”, John Kehoe;
• “Atlas Shrugged”, Ayn Rand;
• “Whatever you choose. Decisions that affect your life”, Tal Ben-Shahar;
• “Strategy for happiness. How to determine your purpose in life and become better on the way to it,” Jim Loehr.

I recommend reading other books about achieving goals.

List of interesting self-development courses:

• Emotional intelligence from the online platform Vikium;
• Critical Thinking by 4brain;
• Your course to success from Advance;
• Personal Future Design on Udemy.

You can learn about other useful courses and trainings on achieving goals on our blog.