Children and Willpower

It’s easier to observe how much inborn willpower there is in a person when they are a child versus an adult. Think about the children that you know, you can tell right away that each child has a different amount of natural willpower. If you are a parent, you may have experienced the following scenario. One of your children wants to buy a toy so he or she may then ask, “Mom, can I have fifty dollars to buy this?” You may respond with, “Sure, but you need to work and earn the fifty dollars.” They might respond with, “Really? I don’t want to work. I’ll just wait until Christmas…” which is seven months from now. Another child might respond with, “OK, I’m going to go pick some lemons, create a lemonade stand, work hard selling lemonade and make the money.” Observing both children, you can tell the latter has more willpower. There is a great determination in the second child, a calling forth of all her inner energies that she directs towards a single point of focus to accomplish her goal. That is willpower.