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Shows determination. Who is a purposeful person? Look at things realistically

Determination: the almighty conqueror of difficulty

04.08.2015

Snezhana Ivanova

Determination is a formulated, conscious ability to take action to implement planned plans.

It doesn’t matter how fast you go towards your goal, the main thing is not to stop. (Confucius)

Determination is a precisely formulated, clearly realized ability by a person to take the necessary actions to implement planned plans. This trait presupposes the application of certain volitional efforts that mobilize the internal resources of the individual, allowing one to overcome obstacles that arise on the way to the goal and not to give up when encountering difficulties.

Purposefulness arises as a result of a kind of victory over oneself: overcoming laziness, triumph over fears, triumph of efficiency over fatigue. This quality is one of the necessary conditions for the formation of a strong character, because in order to develop determination, one often has to painfully experience a struggle of motives, select reasonable arguments, weighing the pros and cons, and experience a genuine conflict between various desires, needs, and intentions.

A person who has chosen a specific goal and established ways to achieve it, like a ship sailing with a fair wind. He confidently and effectively moves towards his goal, and does not drift in the ocean of chance. The course of his movement is determined by himself, and not by the circumstances and desires of other people. A purposeful person is ready to consciously sacrifice and give up many temptations and pleasures. A clearly stated goal is the best way to achieve the desired result. A correctly chosen intention opens up new horizons for a person, does not hamper movement and does not limit resources. Completing the assigned task is the best reward, taking a person one step higher in his personal development. Achieving a goal is a significant factor in gaining and strengthening self-confidence. This is the main incentive that gives objective reasons to feel like a successful person.

Overcoming one’s own indecision and lack of composure, efforts and actions that lead to a significant result, bring a person a feeling of success and self-worth, allow one to respect oneself and increase self-esteem. The individual gains confidence that he is able to control the situation. Determination is the main secret of success, allowing you to achieve high results in any activity.

Why is determination needed?

This is a property of the volitional sphere:

sets the right course to achieve the goal;
provides special energy to overcome obstacles;
allows you to achieve success in any activity;
“suggests” the best ways to resolve difficulties;
frees from indecision, hesitation, doubt;
brings the joy of awareness of actions;
gives a feeling of personal freedom and independence;
helps develop respect and love for one’s personality;
elevates a person in the eyes of others.

How does determination manifest itself?

This human quality is a necessary and important component for successfully performing actions in everyday life.

Professional activity. A purposeful person moves up the career ladder quickly and more comfortably. He is not afraid to set high standards in business, confidently overcomes difficulties and solves problems. He is able to independently control and manage his behavior, independent of external pressure from society. Determination helps a person gain clear confidence in success.
Sports career. A purposeful athlete demonstrates the highest results. He is ready to train hard and for a long time. Knows how to limit himself from temptations. He has no fear of participating in competitions, he does not experience panic anxiety when meeting an opponent. He controls his emotions by force of will.
Education. A person with a clearly defined goal firmly masters knowledge in the shortest possible time. Determination allows you to develop your abilities to the maximum. A clearly defined level of heights contributes to better understanding and memorization of material, helps to navigate and concentrate on the learning process. This quality is the most useful tool for improving learning efficiency.
Scientific activity. The author of the saying that laziness is the engine of progress was not entirely accurate. It is not this sign of weakness of will, but precisely the important quality of human will - determination that allowed outstanding scientists to achieve significant heights in scientific activity. Purpose in all centuries has been the driving force that allows one to overcome internal resistance and external obstacles, often requiring heroism and self-sacrifice from the individual.

How to develop determination?

The components of the volitional sphere are flexible and plastic material that can be developed through meaningful and consistent actions of the individual. Anyone can forge and cultivate a sense of purpose. Methods for developing this volitional quality can be very diverse, but their effectiveness depends on compliance with the following rules.

Rule 1. A global and difficult intention must be developed into several smaller and closer goals and achieved one by one step by step. If you have a long-term perspective, it is very important to understand the stages of achieving a goal and, having outlined the immediate prospects, take actions to resolve particular problems. The result of consistent work will be the created conditions for achieving the final goal.
Rule 2. When formulating a goal, choosing methods to achieve it and making the final decision, it is necessary to take into account the feasibility of intentions and analyze their feasibility. Any decision must be thoroughly thought out.
Rule 3. Any decision made requires immediate execution. Every time a person has made a decision, but postpones its execution again and again, his volitional sphere is disorganized.
Rule 4. Remember, the more significant a person’s goal and the higher the level of motivation, the more difficult obstacles he is able to overcome.
Rule 5. It is important that in the everyday routine of problems and troubles, the individual does not lose sight of the final, desired goal of the activity and does not waste strength, energy, and time on solving unimportant, optional tasks.

To develop determination, you need to:

overcome yours and find peace of mind;
wean yourself from “inventing” self-justifications for your laziness;
ban doubts and indecision;
learn to live with your head, and not be guided by spontaneous feelings;
try different options for solving problems;
develop energy and activity;
develop clear self-organization and maintain strict discipline;
accept momentary mood swings as natural reactions of the emotional sphere and do not focus on disappointments, irritation, resentment, fears;
do not be afraid to look for other ways to achieve the goal and understand that the previously made decision may be wrong.

Good helpers that bring a person closer to achieving determination will be: faith in one’s strengths, respect and love for one’s personality, the fight against indecision and cowardice. As Washington Irving said: “Great minds have goals, others have desires.”

Reading time: 4 min

Determination is a personal trait that is characterized by a conscious, consistent, long-term, stable focus on a conditioned result, called a goal. Purposefulness in psychology is a person’s ability to formulate a task with certain characteristics, plan activities, perform actions according to the needs of the goal, overcoming resistance, internal and external. A purposeful person is someone who has developed a sense of purpose; accordingly, he is able to consciously plan activities and consistently carry them out until the goal is achieved.

What is determination

Determination is a positive, individually and socially rewarded quality. It is listed in vacancies, wished for birthday people, and considered a valuable compliment. Despite the fact that this characteristic can be acquired, there are a fairly small number of people who can readily define themselves as a purposeful person and even fewer can back up the statement with real behavior.

Purposefulness is an integrative concept in psychology. The main spheres of psychological essence in it are will, but this also applies to character. We are not talking about limitations, but about ways to develop this quality and the scale of its influence on the individual. There are no objective restrictions in the development of determination; there are no “innately unmotivated” people, just as there are no those who received this quality like a genetic lottery.

A person’s determination is not an innate trait, therefore the lack of examples in generations does not matter, and there is no age, gender or cultural limiter in its development. This is an acquired trait that is developed through consistent actions. Denial of this trait in oneself is a betrayal of one’s essence, since there are no objective arguments in favor of the impossibility of developing this quality in a reasonable person. Everyone has experience of purposefulness and the naturalness of its manifestation. When a child learns to speak by forming a new word and then persistently repeating it, he is an example of determination. The formation of speech is a very complex process that requires the expenditure of large resources; the skill of correct speech requires a lot of effort; it is not so automatic that it develops on its own, as evidenced by physically healthy children with speech problems due to lack of training.

Personal determination is a skill that absolutely anyone can possess, and by refusing the right to develop it, he deprives himself of the source of realizing his dreams. Even with great innate talent, its realization requires going through a stage of persistent effort.

The definition of determination is associated with perseverance, perseverance, motivation, clarity of perception, and willpower.

Purpose and determination

Purposefulness is a quality that is prescribed based on the results of its implementation, and not allowed. You cannot be potentially, conditionally, passively purposeful. Only by achieving the set goals can an individual attribute this characteristic to himself. Similarly, if a person has achieved a certain goal, was purposeful for a certain period, then stopped the necessary actions, choosing passive behavior, purposefulness will weaken and after some time will not be a trait that can be declared. Without external manifestation, determination does not function.

Purposefulness is one of the key concepts in psychology concerning the emotional-volitional sphere. Examples of determination are also stories of realizing one’s nature. Determination is a psychological tool that is universal because it can be applied to any trait, dream, goal or desire. By developing determination, a person gains more and more strength and ability to influence ever larger and deeper layers of his life.

Purpose and determination are inseparable. If the goal is unattractive and does not inspire even at the stage of dreams, then it will be possible to ignite from it and direct strength only through a strong willpower, and then not for long. If the goal is extremely necessary, but does not have a response in the soul, you should consciously bring an emotional background into it. After all, if you need it so much, it means that there is something behind it that you dream about. Those. you can include it in the structure of a larger, attractive goal by making it a sub-item. The pleasure of achieving a large-scale goal is always slightly delayed; keeping this in mind, you can feel the meaning of the word “anticipation.”

In English, one of the spellings of the word purposefulness is the phrase “sense of purpose,” literally “the meaning of purpose.” And this is where you should start for yourself - why and for what purpose to spend a resource to achieve a goal. For example, you may be too lazy to do minimal exercise or go to the gym just “for your health,” but imagining your athletic body on the beach, in beautiful clothes at a celebration, or running a marathon will spur you on. Accordingly, the first step is to imagine the final goal, at least approximately. Over time, it may change and fade into the background, but now it should have an incentive meaning.

How to overcome laziness and develop determination?

Often called an obstacle to developing a sense of purpose. This is a conditional enemy within us, which we would like to overcome and become collected and purposeful.

Laziness can arise for a number of reasons, which can relate both to physical illness and internal contradictions with the goal. To understand yourself, you need to analyze the goal, its scale, scope, resource costs, including time.

Viktor Frankl, the creator of the psychotherapeutic direction “,” said that for better motivation, the goal should be a little more than achievable, being a little “beyond the horizon,” always a little unattainable dream. Then there will be a good stable level of motivation and prevention of “disappointment in achievement.” The man who went through the horrors of a concentration camp, driven by his goals, knew what he was talking about.

And develop a sense of purpose? Sometimes laziness masks not living up to your own expectations, when it seems that the goal bar is too high, but you honestly don’t want to admit it to yourself. To do this, the global goal should be divided into subgoals and the one that does not cause such stress should be taken as a guideline. Let the global one remain a dream, which allows for some unattainability at the moment. As you progress, the plan will be revised, and the steps and achievements already taken will strengthen confidence in the possibility of realizing your dream. Or it will become a sub-goal to a larger one.

Lack of motivation is often cited as a barrier, or rather, its decline during implementation or even at the planning stage. Motivation is part of the emotional sphere, the “fuel” of will. If you postpone implementation for a long time, engaging in long-term planning, emotional energy is spent, but there is no reinforcement with the result, motivation decreases. At the implementation stage, motivation decreases due to increased stress from the workload.

To level out this decline, you need to remind yourself of the results, as well as plan intermediate stages with a specific, desired result, so that the pleasure from what you receive reinforces your motivation. The best option is when such an exchange occurs constantly; for this, to achieve the goal, certain steps should be taken daily. Therefore, at the initial stage of the formation of this quality, it is worth starting with the formation of some kind of habit, when actions should be daily and every day there is positive reinforcement in the form of a “tick” for the action performed and the pleasure of self-overcoming. Moreover, it is more effective to create a new, useful one, rather than fight the old one, i.e. do not deprive yourself of anything that can increase stress, but add something necessary. Gradually, you need to make your tasks more difficult, since performing an overly easy task for a long time reduces pleasure, since it is no longer assessed as an achievement. A certain satisfaction will remain in the background, but to constantly maintain a tangible level, you need to step to the next level.

How to become a purposeful person

Purpose and determination are concepts of the emotional-volitional sphere. It is no coincidence that emotions and will are considered together. In a sense, we can rephrase that a goal is an object of emotion. Imagining it, thinking about achievement and results, a person feeds himself with delayed emotions of pleasure and joy.

Purposefulness is the result of volitional efforts, coordinated and consistent behavior. Volitional effort is behavior in which a person acts under self-pressure, and emotions help him withstand this pressure, keeping in mind the result.

And to become a purposeful person, you need to integrate these concepts. Choose a goal that is desirable, inspires and performs consistent volitional actions. At the initial stages, the goal must be chosen, in which there is practically no doubt about achieving it and the actions necessary for implementation are perceived as insignificant. But the pleasure from implementation should be quite subjectively significant. The goal should be environmentally friendly, positive, and when planning, take into account personal resources as much as possible, and not be focused on others, i.e. as autonomous as possible for the individual.

Having completed this step, the goal bar will be raised, and the required actions will accordingly become more difficult. The factor of obtaining perceived satisfaction from the actions performed at a low level of development of the trait of purposefulness is of great importance; subsequently it will be more automatic, remaining an active link in the interaction. Completing the previous task will give you confidence in your strength to complete the next one, the skill will be strengthened in your own eyes, as well as in the eyes of others, the image of a purposeful person will be formed. A person may think that achievements are for others or at some stages become discouraged.

Examples of determination in other people can inspire your own activity. Studying biographies and success stories, admiring the perseverance and dedication of heroes, increases confidence in people's capabilities. And looking at them, we think about how to develop determination in ourselves.

How to develop determination

Like any trait, determination is the habit of acting in accordance with the intended goal; it is a neural connection in the brain like a “beaten path”. With each subsequent “pass”, performing the required action, this happens with increasing ease, less and less conscious volitional effort is required. A person with good development of this skill no longer thinks about whether he can stick to the planned plan, since past experience reinforces confidence in his abilities.

From the outside, one gets the impression that as soon as he wants, he easily achieves results, determination is in his blood, but in reality this is the result of a well-practiced skill, just as it is not difficult for an athlete to run several kilometers, but for an untrained one, one kilometer seems insurmountable. Also, the pleasure that a person trained in purposefulness receives from the process is better and of higher quality, and his emotional-volitional integration works smoothly and as independently as possible from external circumstances, independently regulating and compensating the level of stress from volitional efforts.

When wondering how to develop sense of purpose, it is important to remember that human psychology is systemic and by following rules that seem unrelated to will, you can indirectly influence the development of sense of purpose.

Analyze what situations and words disturb everyday peace. The more hectic and distracted a person is, the fewer resources there will be for the right areas. We must remember that the emphasis is not on who is distracting, but why we ourselves are distracted. It is highly advisable to engage in any physical exercise, even if sports and appearance are not areas of interest. This helps to indirectly train will, patience, consistency on a daily basis, and also reduces excessive emotional lability. This will strengthen self-confidence, since it will constantly remind you of your ability to overcome reluctance and laziness. Exercise can be considered the very first step in developing a sense of purpose for any person.

Consider the reasons why necessary steps are delayed and remind yourself that this is your desire. Perhaps the goal is not so interesting, does not have a response. But if this is not the case, then the obstacles are solvable. Here it is important not to get hung up on the brain bubble of soul-searching, but to develop a conditioned reflex in yourself. If there is no doubt about the need for an action, do it first, and then think about why you didn’t want to, if it makes sense.

The best incentive for action should be pleasure from the process of achieving the goal. At the initial stages, you can formulate an abstract prize for perseverance, but upon receiving it, associate it with the action performed, forming a connection between the necessary action and pleasure. Positive reinforcement in habit formation works more effectively than negative reinforcement when there is punishment for non-compliance. A maximum of positive associations must be associated with the necessary activity; negative ones arise from unusual efforts, and an additional increase in them by stress from punishment can completely deprive one of motivation for the goal.

If your goals seem large-scale and your strengths seem small, you should start with small goals or subgoals. Let endurance be the goal, determination as the goal. This may seem like a petty and stupid task, but achieving the most global goal requires a sequence of small but systematic steps. There is also a “plateau” phenomenon, when some time the efforts do not bring results or the results are small. Most often, during this period, emotional inspiration is already reduced or depleted, and only the habit of daily work does not allow you to stop. What is also important here is the desire for the goal, reminding yourself why it all started, what pleasures it promises and what joy it brings. The larger the goal, the more complex the process in structure, but the principle is the same as when forming any everyday habit, which also requires determination.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

Determination allows you to break through walls and conquer peaks. This engine, if it works without interruption, makes a person invincible. Remember your plans, learn to overcome obstacles and do not give up when encountering difficulties.

One of the famous people said about determination this way - it is “...knowing what a person wants and a burning desire to achieve it.”

Many people in life have had to meet people who are smart, talented, have high goals and show great promise. And it’s normal when young people talk about grandiose plans for the future. But when years pass and the same people still set the same goals, it means that such a quality as determination is unfamiliar to them. They call themselves losers, but it's not a lack of ability, but a lack of determination. As the American journalist Napoleon Hipp, who was called the psychologist of success, wrote, even “a strong man will be defeated by a purposeful child.”

People who do not strive to achieve life goals, that is, living aimlessly, are compared to a sailboat that has lost its sail. They move where the waves of life carry them, and not where they themselves need to go. Their lives are controlled by circumstances, not by themselves. They say about such people that they “go with the flow.”

“If you don’t stop, you will definitely achieve something,” - The Departed.

A purposeful person not only knows what result he needs, but also does everything to achieve it. He has a clear mind, thanks to which he accurately determines the goal, and fortitude, allowing him to overcome obstacles on the way to it. His convictions are so strong that he does not give up on them under any circumstances. He always remembers the final goal and, moving towards it, does not turn aside, switching to other things that lead him away from the desired result. Determination is an indispensable character trait for any person who wants his life not to be wasted.

Don't confuse goals with desires

At first glance, goals and desires are the same thing. As the American writer Washington Irving noted, only great minds have goals, while the rest pass off their own desires as goals. Goals differ from desires primarily in that, unlike a simple “I want,” they serve as a guide to action: they presuppose the presence of more or less specific deadlines and certain resources for achieving them.

Here you can remember an old joke: one friend says to another: “I want to go to Paris again!” She asks: “When did you manage to go there?”, to which the first one replies: “I wasn’t there, I just wanted to go there already.” There was a desire, but there was no goal, otherwise she would have started preparing for the trip: she calculated the timing and finances, and planned the actions.

You can wish for anything - good health, an interesting job, big money, but they will remain desires if you don’t start taking action: don’t set a goal for yourself that will serve as a kind of beacon, and don’t start moving towards it.

So, everyone, or almost everyone, has desires. Many people also set goals for themselves (see “”). But not everyone has a sense of purpose.

Cultivate a sense of purpose

Again, you can’t do it without a strong desire. For example, we really want . But we don’t want our desire to remain that way, so we turn it into a goal - to create an appropriate source of income. This goal will serve as our guide. We write it down on paper - this will help us understand it more clearly and determine ways in which we can achieve it.

For example, do we have prospects and chances of promotion and, of course, salary if we remain in our current job? If not, then you should start searching or think about creating your own, albeit small, company. Thus, we break down our goal - “getting more income” into subgoals.

We further divide these subgoals into even smaller ones. If we have decided to create our own business, then we need to determine the product that we will put on the market, think about registering the company, the availability of appropriate resources, the necessary investments and the deadlines that we must meet.

Then these subgoals should be broken down into specific tasks: who will be our partner, where will we get the missing amount of money, etc. We schedule it every day: today we call and arrange a meeting with such and such people, and allocate, for example, three hours for this. By constantly checking our plan and noting what we have done, we will see that we are not standing still, but are moving towards the goal.

Psychologists call this visual representation of the path to achieving a goal the construction of a Goal Tree. Its trunk is the main goal, and the branches extending from it are secondary goals, without which it is impossible to realize the main one. For example, our desire to earn more money will be quite vague and seem out of reach until we define a specific goal that we will strive for and how to achieve it. Only in this case will we be able to judge the effectiveness of our actions, which, in turn, will stimulate us to achieve it faster.

So, let's summarize

First, we write down the goal and place the note in a visible place (you can supplement it with a corresponding picture). It will remind us of ourselves, preventing us from getting distracted or switching to another goal. This is important for people who are said to have seven Fridays a week. Moreover, it is important that we are motivated and have a good idea of what benefits we will ultimately receive, or understand why we need this.

Then we develop a plan and ways to achieve the goal and act in accordance with them, now, and not putting it off until later.

As the famous French writer said, “To reach the goal, you must first go.”

Purposefulness is noble and not very

By calling a person purposeful, we mean that he has a strong-willed character, and we consider this quality to be positive. In addition, it is obvious that those who are able to achieve their goals live in harmony with themselves. But it is just as obvious that determination also has a downside - sometimes arrogance and insolence are confused with it. And there is a saying on this topic: “Arrogance is the second happiness.” People who go towards their goal “over corpses” do not consider it necessary to notice that others also have their own needs and goals.

Purposefulness, bordering on impudence, is characteristic of unprincipled people. Their own goal seems more significant to them, so they move towards it, destroying everything and everyone in their path. “War is like war,” they say, believing that this statement justifies their arrogance. Thus, determination is a positive quality only when a person sets noble goals that are not aimed at infringing on the dignity or emptying the wallets of other people.

The essay contains references to the story by L. Kuklin “Operation “Snow”.

Option 1

Determination is the ability to achieve your dreams, no matter what. Purposefulness speaks of strength of character, perseverance, the ability to gather and step forward, despite difficulties, dangers, and circumstances.

I am fascinated by purposeful people, probably because I cannot call myself such a person. It’s unlikely that I, like the Bull from the story I read, would have dared to swim again to the Devil’s Finger after being on the brink of death! But the “pale-faced boy” really turned out to be persistent. For me, the story about him is a story about a purposeful person.

So is my older sister. In preparation for the city athletics competition, Galya refused a tourist trip to St. Petersburg: she needed to maintain a sleep and training regime. Staying home and devoting time to sports was her conscious decision.

Consequently, determination is the ability to overcome obstacles that arise and not give up when encountering difficulties.

Option 2

If a person persistently pursues his goal, despite doubts, failures, dangers and risks, then such a person is called purposeful. He is constantly in action, striving to fulfill his cherished dream.

This is exactly how the boy nicknamed Bull from the story I read behaves. Despite the fact that he almost drowned while struggling with the “dead swell,” the “bespectacled man” did not abandon his intention to sooner or later swim to the Devil’s Finger. The “skinny boy” showed the “desperate coastal brotherhood” an example of true determination.

The same quality motivated the famous aircraft designer A.N. Tupolev, who created the aircraft on which the famous flights across the North Pole to America were made.

Each person has his own dream and his own goal, but it is not they that characterize him, but how he achieves their fulfillment. Perseverance and inflexibility distinguish a winner from a dreamer.

I am sure that determination helps to become successful in life.

Option 3

I understand determination as a person’s ability not to give up on the path to his goal, to rise again and again if circumstances knock him down, and to move forward. Material from the site

In the story I read, an example of a purposeful person is the boy Bull, who, having decided to swim to the Devil’s Finger, almost drowned, but did not give up the thought of boldly conquering a dangerous path.

I can call any of the winners of the Olympic Games purposeful. It is known how strict their training regime is and how long the path to the podium can be. However, difficulties, injuries and the need to overcome themselves every day do not stop them, but only strengthen their character.

Is it possible to become an outstanding person without determination? Hardly! But you don't have to be brilliant to demonstrate your determination.

This was proven to us by Bychok, the brave hero of L. Kuklin’s story.

Didn't find what you were looking for? Use the search

Purposefulness and purposefulness are synonymous words, but the former sounds better in a more global context in relation to the life and goal that a person has chosen.

In most cases, purposefulness implies conscious effort of a person, but I want to argue with this. First, it’s about conscious purposefulness or purposefulness.

Determination: prerequisites, necessary attributes

Naturally, this is the goal, the desired result. It would be strange to be purposeful, but without a goal.
Aspiration, desire achieve this goal. Or in other words - high level of directional action in achieving what you want.
Constancy in the desire to achieve a certain result. Not impulsive - “here and now”, but a stable desire over a long time.
Focusing on the means to achieve the goal. Thoughts and thoughts related to how to get her.
Specific Actions, as a consequence of corresponding thoughts.
Belief in the result and/or inner conviction. The belief that the presence of desire and certain actions (or other resources) will really help achieve a certain result. How is a goal different from a dream? The same thing that makes him different from a dreamer.

Purposefulness or purposefulness. Conscious concentration on the goal?

Here's the question: How is it that people are brought up in almost identical conditions, but one has a sense of purpose and the other does not?

Here's question number 2: How is it that one “Humpty Dumpty” achieves success in any matter without much effort, while the other, doing everything “right,” is not so successful?

Answer: for there is still an unconscious sense of purpose, an unconscious desire for a certain result. Sometimes, to an unconscious goal.

Example. Much disputed genetic predisposition. In the blood, in the genes, a person has a predisposition to be stingy and rich. (Otherwise, the subconscious goal is money, the corresponding sense of purpose).

Example 2. Talents. Each person has his own talents. Some have more, others – well, not very much. Will such a person be more purposeful towards goals, according to his talents? Esotericists and mystics will say: of course yes, psychologists will support them, but one can argue...