Willpower and Waypower

In C. Richard Snyder’s hope theory, he refers to waypower and willpower (Murphy, 2020). Willpower refers to our intrinsic motivations to act, while waypower refers to effective planning to meet those goals. Basically, motivation doesn’t matter is our planning leads us askew of our desired destination. Snyder defines hope as “a positive motivational state that is based on interactively derived sense of successful agency (goal-directed energy) and pathways (planning to meet goals)” (Snyder et al., 1991).

We need both a goal and a plan. Without a realistic goal and a realistic plan to get there, our goals will never materialize. A successful recipe for success, then, requires a realistic goal, motivation to act, and a basic idea of how to get there. If any of these three essential elements are off line, the unstable structure threatens your chances of success.

Externalizing Obstacles

A major obstacle to success is how we respond to elements interfering with our planned path. You can externalize and complain. Or accept and devise a plan that effectively addresses the difficulty. This sounds pretty basic, except pattens of externalizing typically playout in the unconscious. Once established, the mind automatically defaults to externalizing practices, blinding the personal employing this strategy to real actional paths, and setting the stage for a limited and stagnate life.

Sadly, your success, or failure, is determined by unconscious forces.

Externalizing is so noxious. It works to preserve the ego while ensuring failure. Your mind protects your self image by limiting success. However, this is a faulty path to an enhanced self-image. Proven strategies for building a positive and functional self image include employing behaviors that realistically lead to goal attainment.

Dorothy Hochreich explains that a person who possesses an external orientation projects blame for “personal inadequacies and failures onto bad luck or the malevolent influences of other people.” By using blame projection to an external cause of person, they avoid taking “personal responsibility for actual or anticipated failures” (Hochreich, 1975).

In an odd and paradoxical fashion, success requires continuing forward towards desired dreams when your unconscious mind insists that in order for success an externalized obstacle must be removed (by someone else).

“If Only” Beliefs

Unless we make efforts to bring these forces to the light of awareness. Many of these externalized obstacles are easily identified. Typically, they come in the form of “if only…” beliefs. We falsely envision of a future of success under false beliefs that if a certain element of our lives is changed.

Joseph Burgo, Ph.D., wrote:

“People who believe they will finally be happy ‘if only’ something occurs are usually idealizing that future event because they feel unable to address their actual difficulties, sometimes external but more often internal” (Burgo, 2012).

Often, your externalization takes this ‘if only’ form. is a convenient way of avoiding the pathway necessary to succeed. Basically it is an ego saving excuse—a defense mechanism—devised to protect you from your own weakness and fears. Oddly, magnificently, in a horrifying way, you can avoid the necessary tasks for success without consciously knowing you are avoiding.

After a notable and obvious failure, our minds jump to ego saving action, reformulating and confusing the facts, in a noble effort to protect the ego from the painful and emotionally discomforting reality of personal involvement in the failure.

“Success requires moving forward despite missing the element we believe is necessary for success”

~T. Franklin Murphy

Past and Present Information

Your externalizations are easily accomplished because the massive piles of quietly collected information stored in memory systems. Your mind smoothly pulls irrelevant but convenient information from the past to apply to the particulars of the present. The past may include fabulous excuses for present failure.

An ‘if only’ statements draws upon past events and applies them to a present failure. “If only my parents paid for my college, My life would be so much easier.” In this example, the statement, whether conscious of unconscious, quietly externalizes life failures to an unchangeable past event. The external focus pushes resilient actions to rectify current problems out of the mind, inviting a fatiguing sense of helplessness.

However, life problems and struggles are a given. Whether the individuals parent’s paid for college or not. Each path has blessings and curses. My parents did not pay for my college degree. I paid for my daughters. The present “if only” statements is a creative narrative for explaining the present reality, mistakenly simplifying the many complex causes of failure on a single identifiable event.

Transcending Externalizations

A recipe for success requires working through these noxious excuses. Limiting narrative relying on blame usually are woefully off. Life limiting practices of externalization, even when built on some truth, do not pave a path to success. If we blame others and past circumstances loud enough, we may create guilt in those partially responsible. However, even those who are guilty, in some measure, cannot change the past. They may offer money, time and resources to appease their guilt, but often this is only marginally helpful in changing the present.

Sad experiences show that the ‘if only’ resolution is only a mirage. Once the identified impediment is removed, the patterned behaviors inviting failure continue to dominate, and success elusively remains beyond the externalizing practitioner’s grasp.

For success, you must step around these interfering excuses, engage in success inviting behaviors, no matter what you experienced in the past, frighteningly risk failure, and step into the unknown world of opportunity lying beyond your comfort zones.

The teenage boy that moans to his single mom, “I would do better in school if only I had a faster computer” continues to fail after his mom buys the computer. The computer wasn’t the problem. The child’s patterns of neglecting school work still menacingly impacts grades while the mother now struggles to pay off another bill. The unfaithful husband continues to cheat long after his wife makes difficult adjustments to satisfy his ‘if only’ demands, externalizing his affairs onto the victim of his infidelity.

This Being the Case

A recipe for success requires a ‘being this is the case’ approach. This approach accepts the reality of the situation, both past and present and finds an alternate route. Perhaps, we could call it an ‘even though’ attitude. “Even though, I had a less than adequate childhood, I’m going to succeed anyway.” “Even though I don’t have the fastest computer, I’m going to devote time to my school work.”

This attitude provides motivation and resilience to the inevitable interference of unplanned events and obstacles. It maneuvers around unconscious protective mechanisms, not allowing them to be an excuse for inaction and avoidance.

Making the “If Only” a Goal

Sometimes, our ‘if only’ may represent a legitimate obstacle that is preventing success. In these cases, perhaps, we should adjust our goal to obtain that ‘if only.’ Let me explain. Suppose, we can’t commute far because of lack of transportation. Our limitation is preventing success. We may bemoan ‘if only’ I had a car I could get a better job. The lack of transportation may laterally impede our success. Our recipe for success may require adjustment to include the priority of buying a car. This may require other sacrifices.

The problem is when ‘if only’ is our excuse, we typically exert little effort to remove it. We actually enjoy the benefit of not having to strive for something that presents the possibility of failure. Removal of our ‘if only demand’ actually creates a new reality that frightens us. Receiving what we thought we needed often becomes a source of great sorrow, we must once again cognitively dance around our fears, and find another excuse. This process repeats over and over again until our failures and fears follow us to the grave.

Associated Concepts

• Constructive Action: These actions involve setting and working towards meaningful goals, maintaining a positive mindset, embracing challenges as opportunities for growth, cultivating healthy habits, such as regular exercise and balanced nutrition, and fostering positive and supportive relationships.
• Lying Flatism: This term refers to a growing trend to reject the pressures and expectations of a fast-paced, competitive society, and instead embrace a more relaxed and passive approach to life.
• Procrastination: This refers to the act of delaying or postponing tasks, usually out of habit or for personal reasons. It often involves avoiding a task or decision and choosing to do something else instead, despite knowing that this might lead to negative consequences.
• Productivity: This trait is a foundational principle in success. The habits of productive action enhance our lives in many ways.
• Organismic Integration Theory: This theory provides a psychological framework that focuses on the different forms of motivation that drive human behavior. It proposes a continuum of motivation ranging from intrinsic motivation (engaging in an activity for its inherent satisfaction) to extrinsic motivation (engaging in an activity for external rewards or to avoid punishment).
• Sartre’s Theory of Motivation: According to Sartre, human beings are driven by a fundamental desire for freedom and self-expression. He argues that individuals are motivated by the need to assert their existence and define their essence through their choices and actions.
• Learned Industriousness: This concept is the opposite of learned helplessness. It refers to the learned skill of accomplishing tasks and achieving goals.

A Few Words by Psychology Fanatic

Changing cognitive patterns that are deeply entrenched is indeed a challenging endeavor. It often requires not just introspection but also the courage to confront difficult life experiences that have shaped our thoughts and behaviors. These maladaptive patterns can stem from various sources, including traumatic events or prolonged stress, leading us to adopt coping mechanisms that may ultimately hinder our growth rather than support it.

Acknowledging these challenges is the first step towards transformation, as it opens the door for healing and personal development. Seeking professional help can provide invaluable guidance through this process, allowing individuals to explore their pasts in a safe environment while learning effective strategies to reshape their thinking.

However, change is not only possible; it is achievable with dedication and effort. Millions of people demonstrate daily resilience by confronting their fears and pushing beyond self-imposed limitations. Surrounding ourselves with supportive communities—whether they be friends, family, or professional networks—can foster an atmosphere conducive to growth and healing.

By embracing a mindset focused on progress rather than perfection, we empower ourselves to take actionable steps toward success despite life’s obstacles. Remember that every small victory contributes to a larger journey of self-discovery and achievement; thus, persistence in pursuing positive change paves the way for a fulfilling future brimming with possibilities.

Last Update: February 12, 2026

References:

Burgo, Joseph (2012). Why Do I Do That?: Psychological Defense Mechanisms and the Hidden Ways They Shape Our Lives. New Rise Press. ISBN: 0988443120
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Hochreich, Dorothy J. (1975). Defensive externality and blame projection following failure. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32(3), 540-546. DOI: 10.1037/h0077102
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Murphy, T. Franklin (2020). Hope Theory. Psychology Fanatic. Published: 2-1-2020; Accessed: 9-14-2023. Website: https://psychologyfanatic.com/hope-theory/
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Murphy. T. Franklin (2026). Entity Theory: The Psychology of the Fixed Mindset. Psychology Fanatic. Published: 2-10-2026; Accessed: 2-12-2026. Website: https://psychologyfanatic.com/entity-theory/
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Snyder, C., Harris, C., Anderson, J., Holleran, S., Irving, L., Sigmon, S., Yoshinobu, L., Gibb, J., Langelle, C., & Harney, P. (1991). The Will and the Ways: Development and Validation of an Individual-Differences Measure of Hope. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(4), 570-585. DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.60.4.570
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