False Will and True Will

I participated in a retreat over the weekend. I do that from time to time. It’s essential for me to participate in my own personal/spiritual discovery. This discovery is ongoing, and interesting. I am always am deepening some understanding. It’s like an adventure into me.

This weekend’s topic was about "True Will" and "False Will". "True Will" means coming from a place of confidence, of inner knowing. When we take action from True Will, we are following our inner guidance about what’s needed. "False Will", on the other hand, is mostly forcing things and pushing ourselves.

We did quite a bit of work on False Will at this retreat and I’m looking more at my life and discovering where I employ False Will or True Will.

In the past, I used to literally put too much food on my plate. I would fill my plate and then, because it was so full, I would end up eating too much. While I was eating I’d tell myself "It’s important to eat everything on your plate" and that led to feeling bloated, tired and self-recriminating in the process. To me, this is an example of False Will and pushing myself. I don’t do this anymore, and even if I do put too much food on my plate, I mostly don’t feel like I have to finish every bit.

I see an example of False Will in another part of my life. My modus operandi is to be a doer—I do a lot. I tend to take over, to take on too much, and to push myself through being too busy with the exhausting results. When I’m doing this, I’m telling myself "It’s important to keep your commitments." This is an interesting facet for me to explore.

How do you employ False Will or True Will in your lives?