Will and Commitment

Forging a Mind That Follows Through

In the mythic Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna’s chariot stands at the edge of battle. The horses—wild, magnificent, unyielding—strain at the reins. Each horse represents a sense, a desire, a pull. Without a strong charioteer, they will drag the soul in every direction but forward. Leadership, too, can feel like that battlefield. Emails pile, meetings blur, priorities scatter. The senses gallop. The vision fogs. And the question becomes: Who is holding the reins?

Focus Is What You Say No To

We often believe follow-through is about effort. Grit. Staying up late. That’s only half the truth. The real will lives in subtraction—in saying no to what is not aligned. Dan Ariely, behavioural economist, calls this commitment devices—traps we set for our future selves to protect what matters most (Ariely, 2008). A manager deletes distracting apps. A leader makes a public promise. A founder sets a no-meeting day.

Peter Gollwitzer calls it implementation intentions: "If situation X happens, I will do Y" (Gollwitzer, 1999). These micro-contracts automate will. Like routines of sacred architecture—they remove the need to decide each time. Decision becomes destiny. And in yogic tradition, it is tapas—a fire of disciplined heat that burns away distraction and purifies purpose. Not punishment, but presence. Not rigidity, but radiant structure.

Mental Contracts and Sacred Routines

In executive coaching, I often witness the fallacy of motivation. “If only I were more motivated.” But that’s a trap. Motivation is fickle. Commitment is holy. One manager I worked with, let’s call her Anna, was struggling to make progress on a visionary project. We didn’t add more goals. We subtracted noise and false expectations. Together, we built a mental contract:

1. Morning walk = Vision clarity

2. No meetings before 10am = Strategic integrity

3. Friday review = Inner Board Meeting

These weren't just hacks. They were rituals that protected the sacred. The more she honoured them, the more her team followed suit. By doing this she accepted more who she was and ended procrastinating less. In the end, that acceptance mattered more for her sanity and appreciation of life.

🧠 Will Is Identity Plus Routine

Here’s the mythbuster: Willpower is not pushing harder. It is acting in coherence with who you believe you are. Identity makes the will sustainable. “I’m not someone who checks email first thing” is stronger than "I’ll try not to check my email.” As James Clear notes in Atomic Habits, "Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become" (Clear, 2018). The leader who embodies will doesn’t need to constantly resist. They simply live as.

You don’t need more motivation. You need fewer distractions. You don’t need to chase clarity—you need to guard it like a sacred flame.Try this:

• Set a commitment trap. What will your future self thank you for?

• Write an implementation mantra. "If X, I will Y."

• Create one sacred routine. A meeting with your values. Daily.

Let your will not be a whip—but a charioteer’s hand, strong and precise, holding the wild horses of this world.

If your calendar is a mirror: what does it reflect about your soul? What contract have you made with your future self? And what routine is waiting to become sacred

References

• Ariely, D. (2008). Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. HarperCollins.

• Gollwitzer, P. M. (1999). Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. American Psychologist, 54(7), 493–503.

• Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. Penguin Random House.

• Bhagavad Gita. (n.d.). [Trans. Eknath Easwaran or other suitable edition].