Why do we need willpower in life? Why is it that most things that are beneficial don’t come naturally? Why is it important to have a sense of purpose, then to plan and act on that purpose?

Because the nature of the universe is chaos. Living beings must organize chaos if they are to survive—let alone thrive. Life is a miracle: the exceptional order in a world of chaos.

This deep truth about life is embedded in the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which tells us that, in a closed system, entropy (disorder or chaos) tends to increase over time. In other words, the universe is naturally tending toward chaos—and that’s also where we arrive, in our lives, if we have no active sense of purpose and just “go with the flow”.

Purpose—The Guiding Principle of Life

All living organisms, from bacteria to humans, are able to resist entropy by creating order. Living beings take in energy and matter from their environment to maintain their internal organization. This constant battle against chaos is what keeps us alive and breathing.

Human life takes this principle of the “organization of chaos” to the next level. Yes, we need to organize our environment so that we have food for tomorrow, survive the storm, and don’t get eaten by a wild beast. But not only that… Those of us who are aligned with the deeper calling of life have a strong sense of purpose—a yearning for growth and self-expression. Self-discipline is the practice of making this purpose the organizing principle of our lives.

Just as living beings seek self-organization in the face of entropy, humans must find their purpose to sustain order and meaning in their lives, in the face of chaos. Purpose, thus, is not merely an existential choice—it is the fundamental principle that allows life to resist the pull of chaos, to thrive and evolve.

Without a guiding purpose, things fall apart. This is true in nature, in societies, and in our individual lives. Purpose is the catalyst that organizes and directs our energy toward something meaningful. The more we are focused and purposeful, the more our life expands.

Higher Mind—The Guiding Framework

Either your aspirations are bending your reality, or reality is bending your aspirations.

The first practice of the Higher Mind System is to Aspire. To aspire is to have a strong sense of purpose, meaning, and guidance. Our aspirations can be the all-encompassing organizing principle in our lives—if we allow them to.

The second practice, or discipline, is to Plan. Planning is an invitation to bring order to our day, so that we can live by design rather than by default. Planning organizes the chaos of our day into something purposeful and coherent, focusing our energies around our aspirations and life goals.

The third practice of the Higher Mind System is to Act. We are all doing things every day, but when we talk about Act we mean taking action aligned with our goals and values. That action will not always feel easy or natural—to be expected since we are organizing chaos.

What chaos?

You have an intention to do something, to accomplish something, and that is your organizing principle or “life force”. When you take action on it, you nourish it, bringing order to the chaos. When you go against it—because you give in to temptations, procrastination, fear, or doubt—you weaken it.

It is your higher mind that allows you to organize chaos and show up as your best self, in your journey of purpose. The other four disciplines of the system (Reflect, Meditate, Overcome, Accelerate) are all also in service of the same goal: to help you fulfill your aspirations, and become the person you were meant to be.

Willpower—Life in Motion

Be a creator, not a creature.

It takes no effort to go with nature; it takes effort to go against it.

If you want to go with the flow of the river, all you need to do is to float and let the river carry you. But if you want to go upstream, you must put in some effort—you must swim. Likewise in our lives and spiritual paths. To elevate ourselves, we must apply ourselves.

The ultimate consequence of laziness is the unavoidable chaos of life. To survive and thrive, you need to apply your will and swim upstream.

It is the nature of our body to get dirty, get sick, grow old, and die. No effort is required for that to happen; you just go with the flow. But if you want to keep your body clean, healthy, strong, and alive for longer, you need to apply your will and swim upstream.

In a universe tending toward disorder, life is like a spinning top that stays upright only when in motion; it needs a goal (spinning) to resist falling into disarray.

Inertia quickly leads to decay and death. To keep alive, you need to keep on moving; to thrive, you need to accelerate even more. The purpose and direction of your movement depends on you—on what seeds of meaning are planted in your heart. Yet the need for continuous and organized movement is an inescapable fact of life. Nobody has ever become a great swimmer by floating downstream.

This is why willpower is one of the key elements of the Higher Mind System. It is not enough to have a purpose and be aware of it. You must embrace it and apply your will continuously, in the right direction. You must swim upstream.

You can’t organize the chaos of the universe, but you can organize the chaos of your universe. To do so in the direction of what you value most is, perhaps, the meaning of life.

Final Thoughts

Life defies chaos. Life is the triumph over entropy.

Likewise, your aspirations defy your circumstances, and shall be the triumph of your will.

This is the purpose of my work, and of the Higher Mind System. And this is my invitation for you: organize all your time, energies, and mind, around your aspirations! That is, ultimately, what it is to be alive. And in a world of chaos, that is a miracle.