Discipline

Discipline carries negative connotations to many. Basically, it is something that few of us seek out. Just the word itself conjures up images that people do not like. The military stresses discipline with it's anal rules and regulations. Nuns in Catholic school hammer us about being disciplined often resulting in the meeting of a ruler. Or, perhaps our parents tried to instill this into us by having us make our beds as children. Whatever your image (and experience) is with discipline, it most likely is something that you do not aspire to have.

However, discipline is at the core of every major success. People achieve great things because of their perseverance. There are literally thousands of sayings which back this up. Overall, they all point to the fact that people need to keep going. Quiting at the first sign of trouble is not what leads to success.

Another aspect along this same line is that success is rarely an overnight occurrence. Robert DeNiro likes to say that it took him 10 years to become an overnight success. "Rome wasn't built in a day". We need to keep moving forward towards our objectives in spite of the obstacles we are confronted with.

What does it take to be a success? It takes the ability to regularly do the things which lead to the desired outcome. Athletes have the discipline to work out daily on their craft. I am certain there are days that Tiger Woods does not want to hit gold balls on the driving range. However, he did not become the #1 golfer in the world by sitting at home. The same is true for successful authors, artists, and business people. They do the things necessary each day to move forward.

Simply, there are lots of things in life that we dislike doing. Nevertheless, if you are to enjoy the incredible level of achievement that you are capable of, it is imperative that you become a disciplined person. Do the things each day which move your forward.

How do we do this? Well, I put together a simple exercise which will help instill discipline. You start with a basic monthly calendar. On it, write 5 things that you are going to do each day for the next month. I want the same 5 things written in each day. Now, we go and do them. Everyday we make sure these 5 actions are done. There are no excuses. We do them regardless of what is going on. It is only 5 activities. They need not be hard, difficult, nor major. The only criteria is that you do all 5 everyday.

If you complete this exercise for the full 30 days, you will have gained some discipline in your life. That is how you become successful: one activity at a time.
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