Where There Is a Will, There Is a Universe of Ways

1 day ago

7 min read

A closed door is annoying. A locked door is rude. But a wall with no door at all? That’s when most people start looking for biscuits.

Yet that is often when life gets interesting.

“Where there is a will, there is a universe of ways” isn’t just a nicer version of the old proverb. It’s bigger. More generous. Less like a strict Victorian headteacher and more like a telescope pointed at the sky. It says that determination doesn’t create one path. It creates options. Routes. Detours. Side quests. Occasionally, a tiny rope bridge you’re not thrilled about, but still.

The phrase matters because most of us don’t get stuck from a lack of ability. We get stuck because we believe the first blocked route means the journey is over.

It usually isn’t.

Will is not a mood. It is a decision with shoes on

Let’s clear up a common myth. Willpower is not the same as feeling wildly inspired at 6.00 am while drinking lemon water and writing in a notebook with suspiciously perfect handwriting.

Will is quieter than that.

Will is the decision to keep moving when the plan gets awkward. It’s applying for the course again. Reworking the budget. Asking the question. Taking the first client call. Resting before burnout turns up wearing steel-capped boots.

It’s less “heroic movie montage” and more “I’ve made a sandwich and I’m going to try again.”

Psychologist Carol Dweck’s work on growth mindset has become well known for a reason. The basic idea is simple: people who believe skills can be developed are more likely to persist, learn from feedback, and improve over time. That doesn’t mean anyone can become anything by chanting affirmations into a mirror. Mirrors have heard enough. It means progress often depends on whether we treat ability as fixed or buildable.

That belief changes the question.

Instead of asking, “Can I do this?”

Ask, “What would help me get better at this?”

That one shift opens the first door.

A universe of ways starts with better questions

When a plan fails, the brain loves drama. It throws itself onto a chaise longue and declares, “We are ruined.”

Very rarely true.

Most plans fail because they were too vague, too big, too lonely, or built for a version of life where emails don’t exist and nobody ever gets a cold.

The way forward often appears when the question becomes more useful.

Try these:

What is the smallest version of this goal?
Who has already done something similar?
What skill is missing?
What can be tested in one week?
What would I do if I had to make this easier?

That last one is magic. We often make growth look like punishment. No wonder the brain refuses to attend.

If the goal is to start a business, don’t begin with a 90-page plan, a logo, and a dramatic announcement to your group chat. Start with one problem, one person who has it, and one useful offer. If the goal is to change career, don’t resign on a Tuesday because someone on a podcast said “take the leap”. Speak to people in the field. Read job descriptions. Map the skill gaps. Take a small course. Build evidence.

Big futures are built from small proof.

Determination needs a map, not just a pep talk

Motivation is lovely. It arrives, lights a candle, says inspiring things, and then disappears when it rains.

Systems are less glamorous, but much more reliable.

Researcher Peter Gollwitzer is known for work on “implementation intentions”, which are simple if-then plans. For example, “If it is 7.30 pm on Monday, I will spend 30 minutes working on my CV.” The strength is in removing the little debate that drains energy. You’re not negotiating with yourself every time. The plan has already decided.

This is why planning your future cannot be reduced to wishful thinking. Wishes are fluffy. Plans wear boots.

A simple future plan might include:

A clear outcome
A reason that actually matters to you
Three possible routes
The next tiny step
A fallback plan for busy weeks
A review date

Notice the “three possible routes” bit. That’s where the universe of ways comes in. A single route can become fragile. Three routes make you harder to stop.

Want to study but can’t go full time? Look at part-time routes, distance learning, apprenticeships, employer-funded training, or short accredited courses.

Want to earn more but can’t switch careers overnight? Explore overtime, freelance skills, internal promotion, retraining, selling a service, or cutting the cost of a long commute.

Want more freedom? It might come through entrepreneurship. It might come through a better job. It might come through moving closer to family, changing hours, or finally admitting that your calendar looks like it was designed by a caffeinated octopus.

A will says, “I’m going.”

A plan says, “Here are the roads.”

Failure is information wearing an ugly hat

Nobody enjoys failure. People who say they do are either lying or selling a very intense coaching programme.

But failure is useful when it becomes data.

Thomas Edison is often linked with the idea of trying many ways before finding what worked for the light bulb. The exact wording of famous quotes gets debated, as famous quotes tend to breed like rabbits online. But the lesson holds: repeated attempts can teach you what not to do, and that narrows the search.

The trick is to stop treating every setback as a verdict on your identity.

A failed interview doesn’t mean, “I’m not good enough.”

It might mean:

The examples were too vague
The role wasn’t the right fit
Someone else had closer experience
The preparation method needs changing
You need more practice speaking about your results

That’s very different. One version shuts the door. The other gives you a checklist.

The same applies to money goals, learning goals, fitness goals, family decisions, and business ideas. The first attempt is rarely the final form. Even bread needs proving. If dough gets a second chance, so do we.

The will must include rest, or it becomes a trap

Let’s talk about the shiny beast in the corner: hustle culture.

Ambition is good. Effort is good. Building something meaningful is good. But endless grind is not a personality. It’s a fire alarm with a ring light.

The phrase hustle, entrepreneurship, work-life balance gets thrown around as if the answer is to magically do all three while drinking a green smoothie and maintaining perfect eyebrows. Real life is messier. Work expands. Family needs appear. Energy dips. The washing machine develops a personality.

A strong will does not mean saying yes to everything. It means protecting the future you’re trying to build.

That includes rest.

The Health and Safety Executive in the UK recognises work-related stress as a serious issue, and anyone who has stared blankly at a kettle waiting for toast knows stress can make even simple tasks feel enormous. Burnout doesn’t usually arrive with fireworks. It creeps in through skipped lunches, late nights, and the belief that stopping is weakness.

Stopping is not weakness.

Stopping is maintenance.

Nobody calls a phone lazy because it needs charging. Although, to be fair, some phones do make a meal of it.

A sustainable will asks:

What can I do consistently?
What can I stop doing?
Where do I need support?
What pace can I live with?
What am I pretending is urgent?

That last question is cheeky, but helpful.

Possibility grows when you stop planning alone

One reason people miss opportunities is that they try to imagine every answer from inside their own head. That’s like asking a goldfish to design a bicycle. Respect to the goldfish, but the frame of reference is limited.

Other people expand the map.

A mentor can shorten the learning curve. A friend can spot patterns. A careers adviser can reveal routes you didn’t know existed. A colleague can suggest a project. A coach can ask the question you’ve been avoiding while pretending to “research”.

Planning your future is personal, but it does not have to be solitary.

If you’re facing a crossroads, gather better input:

Speak to three people who have taken different routes
Ask what they would do sooner if starting again
Read real job adverts, not just glossy career pages
Test ideas before committing your life savings
Look for transferable skills you already use

Transferable skills are often hiding in plain sight. Managing a household involves budgeting, negotiation, logistics, memory, patience, and conflict resolution. Retail work builds communication, resilience, speed, and people-reading skills so sharp they should come with a warning label. Volunteering can build leadership and problem-solving.

Your past may contain more tools than you think.

The next way may be smaller than expected

The universe of ways sounds huge, but the next step is usually tiny.

That’s good news.

You don’t need to redesign your entire life by Thursday. In fact, please don’t. Thursday has enough going on.

Choose one move that creates evidence.

Send the email. Compare the course options. Draft the budget. Book the conversation. Practise the interview answer. Walk for ten minutes. Write the first paragraph. Make the call. Ask for help.

The point is not to solve the whole future in one dramatic swoop. The point is to create motion. Once you move, you get feedback. Once you get feedback, you can adjust. Once you adjust, more routes appear.

That is how will becomes possibility.

Not through pretending everything is easy.

Not through waiting to feel ready.

Through steady, honest action.

Build the will. Find the ways.

Where there is a will, there is a universe of ways. But the will has to be more than stubbornness. It needs curiosity, patience, planning, and the humility to change route when the road turns into a swamp.

The future rarely arrives as one perfect path with flattering lighting. It arrives as choices, experiments, wrong turns, lucky conversations, revised plans, and the occasional deeply suspicious shortcut.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Ask better questions. Build a plan that respects real life. Then take the next small step.

The universe does not need you to have every answer today.

It just needs you to begin.

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