The work "Will-power: How to Control and Stimulate It, Train it to Effort and Use it to Succeed in Life" is a vintage self-improvement guide published by Edward Aubanel in 1950, authored by Raymond de Saint-Laurent. This book is part of a broader series on mind training and personal development that emphasizes the mental discipline required to achieve professional and personal success. The Core Philosophy of Aubanel’s Will-Power
The central theme of the Aubanel publication is that willpower is not a static trait but a trainable skill. The text focuses on the transition from passive existence to active achievement through deliberate mental effort.
The Power of a Clear Aim: A primary lesson is the necessity of a "life aim." Without a specific, motivated objective, individuals risk stagnating in unsatisfying roles.
Mental Energy Focus: Defining a clear goal allows a person to focus their mental energy, which naturally increases their abilities and makes steady improvement easier.
Avoidance of Stagnation: The book warns that a lack of direction leads to a "drifting" life, where one's potential is never fully realized. Practical Steps for Training the Will
According to the Aubanel series, developing willpower involves a structured, multi-step process:
Identification: Determine exactly what you like and who you want to become. will power edward aubanel
Assessment: Evaluate if the chosen aim is reasonable and attainable.
Staging: Break the large objective into smaller stages with specific deadlines.
Regular Reflection: Consistently think about the objective and track progress to maintain motivation. Historical Context: Raymond de Saint-Laurent and Aubanel
Raymond de Saint-Laurent was a prolific author of the mid-20th century who wrote extensively on psychology and "mind training". His works were often published by E. Aubanel, a publisher known for psychological and self-help literature during that era. These books often carried titles like "My 20 Lessons of Mind-Training" and were designed to provide accessible, actionable advice to the public. Why the Work Remains Relevant
While modern psychology (such as the work of Roy F. Baumeister) often discusses willpower as a finite resource regulated by glucose and rest, the Aubanel-published works approach it from a philosophical and habit-based perspective. It argues that the direction of the will is as important as its strength. By aligning your daily efforts with a meaningful life aim, you reduce the friction of decision-making and build a more resilient character.
Title: The Quiet Engine of Success: Unpacking Will Power with Edward Aubanel The work "Will-power: How to Control and Stimulate
Introduction
We’ve all heard the phrase “will power.” It’s usually invoked when someone resists a second slice of cake, wakes up for a 5 a.m. run, or finishes a project ahead of deadline. But for most people, will power remains a vague, almost mystical force—something you either have or you don’t.
Edward Aubanel, a thinker and writer who explored the intersection of human psychology, discipline, and personal mastery, offered one of the most practical and profound interpretations of will power. Unlike the pop-psychology versions that treat will power as a finite resource you “spend” throughout the day, Aubanel framed it as something far more essential: the sculpting tool of the self.
In this post, we’ll explore Edward Aubanel’s philosophy on will power, why it matters more than talent or intelligence, and how you can cultivate it without burning out.
Every Sunday, ask: “This week, did my hardest decisions serve my deepest values, or were they wasted on trivia?” If you exhausted your will power arguing on social media or obsessing over minor purchases, you’ve misused your greatest resource.
Then came the catastrophe.
In 1863, Aubanel fell deeply in love with a young woman named Zani. The exact details are shrouded in mystery (Aubanel burned his private letters), but the consensus is devastating: Zani, possibly due to family pressure or a religious calling, entered a convent. She took her vows. She was lost to him forever.
For most artists, this is the stuff of great poetry—a broken heart, a few sonnets, then moving on. For Aubanel, it was a psychic amputation.
He collapsed. For nearly a decade, he published nothing. He stopped writing. He abandoned the Félibrige meetings. The man who had willed a language back to life now struggled to will himself out of bed. This is the first true test of willpower: not the sprint of youth, but the marathon of despair.
During these “lost years” (1863–1872), Aubanel’s willpower mutated. It became passive and internal. He did not commit suicide. He did not renounce his faith (though he raged at God). He simply… endured. He worked as a printer. He walked the alleys of Avignon. He held the pain inside, refusing to let it dissolve his identity.
After Zani, Aubanel did not wait for passion. He created a daily ritual: wake, print, write one page, print, walk the Rhône banks, sleep. He transformed willpower from a dramatic act into a quiet, unbreakable routine.
Each morning, make only one truly hard decision before 10 a.m. (e.g., “I will write for 30 minutes before checking email”). All other decisions (breakfast, clothes, route to work) should be automated or trivial. This preserves directive will for what matters. Title: The Quiet Engine of Success: Unpacking Will
From Aubanel’s life and work, we can distill a practical model of willpower for our own age: