We’ve all heard it since kindergarten. "Where there's a will there's a way." It’s the kind of thing a coach yells when you’re gassed or a parent says when you can’t figure out a math problem. Honestly, it sounds like a cheap motivational poster you'd find in a dusty breakroom. But if you strip away the cliché, you’re left with a psychological mechanism that actually dictates who wins and who just... wanders.
Success isn't about having a clear path. Paths are almost always messy. It’s about having a stubborn enough "will" that you're willing to build the "way" yourself, even if you have to use a metaphorical spoon to dig through a mountain.
The Science Behind the Stubbornness
Psychologists don't usually use the word "will." They prefer terms like Self-Efficacy or Grit. Angela Duckworth, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, basically turned the "where there's a will there's a way" mantra into a scientific field of study. Her research found that grit—defined as passion and perseverance for long-term goals—is a better predictor of success than IQ.
It's kinda wild when you think about it. You can be the smartest person in the room, but if you lack the "will," you’ll fold the second things get weird. And they always get weird.
When you have a high level of self-efficacy, your brain literally processes obstacles differently. Instead of seeing a "No" as a dead end, your prefrontal cortex starts treating it like a puzzle. You aren't just being optimistic; you’re being functional. You’re looking for the workaround because your brain has already decided that the destination is non-negotiable.
Why Logic Sometimes Fails You
If you were perfectly logical, you’d probably quit most hard things. Logic tells you the odds are against you. Logic points out that you’re tired. But "will" is a bit irrational. It’s that gut feeling that says the outcome is possible despite the data.
Take the story of Sylvester Stallone. Before Rocky, he was broke. Like, "selling his dog because he couldn't feed it" broke. Logic said he should take any acting gig or just get a regular job. But he had the will to only sell his script if he starred in it. He got rejected over 1,500 times. That’s not a typo. 1,500. Most people's "way" ends after ten rejections. His "will" forced a new way into existence.
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When "Where There's a Will There's a Way" Becomes Reality
We see this play out in history constantly. Look at Ernest Shackleton. In 1914, his ship, the Endurance, got trapped in Antarctic ice. It eventually crushed the ship. They were stranded on ice floes, thousands of miles from civilization, with zero hope of rescue.
Most people would have just laid down and died. That’s the logical move.
Instead, Shackleton’s "will" to save his men led to a series of "ways" that seem impossible. They rowed lifeboats across the deadliest ocean on earth. They climbed uncharted mountains without gear. Every single man survived. There was no "way" home until Shackleton decided there had to be one.
The Problem With Modern "Ways"
The internet has actually made us weaker in this department. We’re used to Googling the "way" to do everything. How to lose weight? Google it. How to start a business? There's a 10-step listicle.
But when the Google-able "way" doesn't work for you—maybe you have a slow metabolism or no startup capital—people tend to give up. They think the "way" is broken. They forget that the "will" is supposed to come first. If the first three methods you try fail, you haven't hit a wall. You've just narrowed down what doesn't work.
Breaking the "Will" Into Actionable Parts
If you feel like you’re lacking that internal fire, it’s usually not because you’re "lazy." Laziness is a myth. Usually, it’s a lack of clarity or a fear of the "way" being too painful.
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- Micro-Wins: You can't build a massive "will" overnight. You build it by keeping small promises to yourself. If you say you’re going to wake up at 7:00 AM and you actually do it, your brain starts trusting you. That trust is the foundation of will.
- The "Third Way" Mentality: Most people see things as binary. Either I do A or I do B. If both fail, I'm done. People who live by "where there's a will there's a way" are always looking for Option C.
- Dopamine Management: If you’re constantly getting cheap hits of dopamine from scrolling or junk food, you’ll never have the "will" for the hard stuff. Your brain is already satisfied. You have to stay a little bit hungry—literally and metaphorically.
Real World Example: The Wright Brothers
Everyone remembers the Wright brothers as the guys who flew first. People forget they were bicycle mechanics. They didn't have government funding. They didn't have a degree in physics. Their rival, Samuel Langley, had all the money and the prestige.
Langley had the "way" provided for him, but he quit the moment the Wright brothers beat him to the punch. The Wrights had the "will." They crashed. They failed. They were mocked. But because their "will" was focused on the problem of flight, not the prestige of being first, they found the way through trial, error, and a lot of broken wood.
Does "Will" Ever Fail?
Let’s be real. Sometimes, you can want something with every fiber of your being and still not get it. Gravity is still gravity. If I have the "will" to jump over a skyscraper, I’m still going to hit the pavement.
But here’s the nuance: where there's a will there's a way usually applies to outcomes, not specific methods. If your goal is to help people, and your first business fails, your "will" finds a second business or a non-profit. The "way" changes. The "will" stays fixed on the North Star.
The Cognitive Reframing You Need
If you're stuck right now, you’re probably looking at a "How" problem.
- "How do I pay this debt?"
- "How do I fix this relationship?"
- "How do I get that promotion?"
Shift the focus. Re-establish the "Why." When the "Why" is loud enough, the "How" usually reveals itself in the form of late-night ideas, unexpected connections, or just pure, grind-it-out effort.
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It's about Resourcefulness over Resources.
A resourceful person with nothing will beat a person with everything and no drive. Every. Single. Time.
How to Build Your "Way" Today
Stop looking for a map. Maps are for places people have already been. If you're trying to do something great, you're in the woods.
- Audit your excuses. Write down why you "can't" do something. Look at that list. Is it actually impossible, or is it just uncomfortable? Most "impossible" things are just a collection of very uncomfortable tasks.
- Find a "Proxy for Will." If you can't find the drive in yourself yet, find someone who has done it. Read biographies. Not "self-help" books—actual life stories. You’ll see that every person you admire spent a long time in a place where there was no "way" in sight.
- Commit to the Pivot. When one path blocks, don't go home. Turn left. Then turn right. Just keep moving. The "way" is often a zigzag, not a straight line.
The phrase "where there's a will there's a way" isn't just a comfort for the struggling. It's a fundamental law of human progress. Without it, we'd still be huddling in caves, afraid of the dark, waiting for a "way" to stay warm to just appear. We didn't wait. We willed fire into existence.
Go do the same with whatever mountain you're facing.
Actionable Steps to Strengthen Your Resolve
- Identify the "Wall": Write down the exact obstacle stopping you. Is it money? Knowledge? Fear?
- The 10-Option Exercise: Force yourself to write 10 ridiculous, even stupid, ways to get around that obstacle. Usually, option 7 or 8 is the "way" you were too scared to see.
- Shorten the Horizon: Don't look at the whole mountain. Just look at the next 10 feet. If you have the will to move 10 feet, you eventually find the way to the top.