Zeroing In On Self Discipline
“He who conquers his self is mightier than he who conquers a city.” I forgot who said that line but the message stuck with me. It means have control over yourself first before you can have control over other things outside of yourself.. Private victories precede public victories. It all starts within you. Self- discipline and self control are major components if you want to master yourself. Self-mastery is a pre-requisite to transforming yourself into changed and better individual.
The words self discipline and self control are enough to make you cringe. It means deprivation. It means loss of freedom. Sacrifice. Delayed gratification. But think of the rewards when you are able to discipline yourself. It’s enough to get you motivated.
What separates the winners from the average people is that the winners reach a level of self-mastery accomplished through self discipline. Winners do not lose heart and become devastated by their misfortunes. They don’t become slaves to bad habits. They don’t become professional pleasure seekers just to run away from pain and boredom. Think of Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey etc. you and I know, these people have more challenges and responsibilities than us average joes. But they get, what they want, they become who they want to become ,because they have dominion over themselves. They have mastered themselves first and foremost.
Now look at how your normal day unfolds. Are you aware that there are potentially numerous opportunities for you to feel down and feel good in a single day? If your goal is to be healthier and to lose a few pounds do you crave for a stick of cigarette and smoke it, or do you raid the refrigerator and gobble up the last slice of cheesecake or do you gulp a glass of martini or pop pills just to make you feel better and calmer when you are having a tough day?
The difference between the winners and the average people is, the latter is often affected by their physical and social weather. If the weather is good they feel good. If it’s cloudy and raining, they feel gloomy. When people treat them well, they feel well. When things are not going their way, they yell, become defensive and just overall cranky. The average people put their emotional lives around the behaviours of others. Empowering other people to control them.
Now let me ask you. Are you that way? Do you allow yourself to tossed by the fickle fumblings of fate? Why not be the navigator and take the helm and steer any course to any place you want to be, instead of being just a mere passenger in the voyage of life.
Winners or achievers on the other hand, carry their own sunshine .You can’t tell if they are having a good day or not. They work steadily and their performance is superior. They are still influenced by physical, social or psychological stimuli but they respond in a positive manner.
You will know you are blazing a new emotional trail of self-discipline when you no longer feel the need to buffer your stress, anxieties and discomfort with alcohol, drugs, oversleeping, overeating , excessive arguing, cigarette smoking, compulsive sexual patterns, saying “yes” when you mean “no”, and procrastinating.
As you attempt to make a new positive behavior and begin winning, you may feel physical discomfort temporarily such as headaches, backaches, nausea, sweaty palms, hot flashes, blurring eyes and muscle aches in different parts of your body like the neck, arms and legs ( if symptoms persist though, consult your doctor.)
Winners manage to pull through all these temporary discomforts, stay with it, hold on until eventually bring about the significant changes they have set in the beginning. If they do lapse back into an old habit they had hoped to break, they get back on the wagon as soon as they can and keep trying again. They focus on what changes they have accomplish in between slips.
You know as much as I do, that to discipline oneself is easier said than done. Up until now I can’t say I have all my ducks lined up. I still struggle with the right actions on a moment by moment basis. I can feel cigarette screaming for me when I receive disturbing phone calls from family and friends or when I receive an unexpected bill or a customer missed an appointment. It’s tough. But I’m holding on, not anesthesize myself with destructive habits. I’m staying with my discomfort. This is a new place for me. But I know it’s going to be temporary. I now know that it’s better to be a little uncomfortable and give myself an opportunity to develop some new and positive behaviors…than to keep traveling on the same old comfortable path (smoking) which is going nowhere.
When you can say that you have control and discipline yourself successfully, the range of possibilities for discovering who you are can be endless. There are no ceilings on your talent, no boundaries on excellence and no limits on your creativity. Go on…continually master yourself through self discipline….conquer yourself…so that you could change your life to a win.
The words self discipline and self control are enough to make you cringe. It means deprivation. It means loss of freedom. Sacrifice. Delayed gratification. But think of the rewards when you are able to discipline yourself. It’s enough to get you motivated.
What separates the winners from the average people is that the winners reach a level of self-mastery accomplished through self discipline. Winners do not lose heart and become devastated by their misfortunes. They don’t become slaves to bad habits. They don’t become professional pleasure seekers just to run away from pain and boredom. Think of Bill Gates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey etc. you and I know, these people have more challenges and responsibilities than us average joes. But they get, what they want, they become who they want to become ,because they have dominion over themselves. They have mastered themselves first and foremost.
Now look at how your normal day unfolds. Are you aware that there are potentially numerous opportunities for you to feel down and feel good in a single day? If your goal is to be healthier and to lose a few pounds do you crave for a stick of cigarette and smoke it, or do you raid the refrigerator and gobble up the last slice of cheesecake or do you gulp a glass of martini or pop pills just to make you feel better and calmer when you are having a tough day?
The difference between the winners and the average people is, the latter is often affected by their physical and social weather. If the weather is good they feel good. If it’s cloudy and raining, they feel gloomy. When people treat them well, they feel well. When things are not going their way, they yell, become defensive and just overall cranky. The average people put their emotional lives around the behaviours of others. Empowering other people to control them.
Now let me ask you. Are you that way? Do you allow yourself to tossed by the fickle fumblings of fate? Why not be the navigator and take the helm and steer any course to any place you want to be, instead of being just a mere passenger in the voyage of life.
Winners or achievers on the other hand, carry their own sunshine .You can’t tell if they are having a good day or not. They work steadily and their performance is superior. They are still influenced by physical, social or psychological stimuli but they respond in a positive manner.
You will know you are blazing a new emotional trail of self-discipline when you no longer feel the need to buffer your stress, anxieties and discomfort with alcohol, drugs, oversleeping, overeating , excessive arguing, cigarette smoking, compulsive sexual patterns, saying “yes” when you mean “no”, and procrastinating.
As you attempt to make a new positive behavior and begin winning, you may feel physical discomfort temporarily such as headaches, backaches, nausea, sweaty palms, hot flashes, blurring eyes and muscle aches in different parts of your body like the neck, arms and legs ( if symptoms persist though, consult your doctor.)
Winners manage to pull through all these temporary discomforts, stay with it, hold on until eventually bring about the significant changes they have set in the beginning. If they do lapse back into an old habit they had hoped to break, they get back on the wagon as soon as they can and keep trying again. They focus on what changes they have accomplish in between slips.
You know as much as I do, that to discipline oneself is easier said than done. Up until now I can’t say I have all my ducks lined up. I still struggle with the right actions on a moment by moment basis. I can feel cigarette screaming for me when I receive disturbing phone calls from family and friends or when I receive an unexpected bill or a customer missed an appointment. It’s tough. But I’m holding on, not anesthesize myself with destructive habits. I’m staying with my discomfort. This is a new place for me. But I know it’s going to be temporary. I now know that it’s better to be a little uncomfortable and give myself an opportunity to develop some new and positive behaviors…than to keep traveling on the same old comfortable path (smoking) which is going nowhere.
When you can say that you have control and discipline yourself successfully, the range of possibilities for discovering who you are can be endless. There are no ceilings on your talent, no boundaries on excellence and no limits on your creativity. Go on…continually master yourself through self discipline….conquer yourself…so that you could change your life to a win.
Comments