What is Discipline?

This is one of the most misunderstood personal characteristics of human behavior. And, one of the most admired.

It can single-highhandedly be the very reason someone succeeds in spite of great challenges and limited resources. And, it is not limited to just success with money. Being disciplined can assist and accelerate growth in any area of life. Discipline will make you healthier, wealthier, communicate better, be more focused, improve your relationships and avoid problems.

Discipline helps in every area of life. Discipline helps with your personal life, your career, your extended relationships and in social settings.

There is virtually no limit to what this single personal behavior can do for a person. And, the best part is that it is not something a person is born with. It is a skill that can be learned and developed. And, anyone can learn it. Anyone can apply it.  Anyone can use it to make their life better.

If they choose to...

Discipline is a choice. 

It is a choice between doing what you want to do and doing what you need to do. This distinction is an important one. There are things people want to do that at one time they needed to. And, by using discipline the need to do became a want to do.

Discipline helped them get started. And, occasionally they will use discipline to keep themselves going. But, the disciplined repetition turned it into a habit making ongoing discipline unnecessary.

Discipline is an attitude.

It is an attitude of always doing what the right thing no matter how hard it is. It's having the uncomfortable conversation you need to have with a friend, a coworker or a spouse but don't want to have. It's eating the salad instead of the ice cream. It's going to the gym instead of hitting the snooze button.

Discipline is a mindset.

It is an unyielding way of thinking. It is seeing what needs to be done and doing it no matter how uncomfortable or inconvenient it may be. It is the engagement of a single-minded purpose that refuses to lose.

Discipline is consistency.

It is doing the the right thing over and over again no matter how boring or monotonous it may seem. It is understanding that Little Things Do Matter. And, doing the little things day in and day out achieves big things over time.

Discipline is a commitment.

It is a decision to do a certain thing and stick with it until is is done. It is realizing that Done Is Better Perfect and all results count in getting to the goal. It is never giving up.

Discipline is a challenge.

It is the reason you feel tired after pushing where others would have quit. It is the reason you feel stretched. It is the reason you have grown to become someone you could have never even imagined becoming.  But, so glad you did.

Discipline is the difference.

It is the difference between you and the non-achiever. It is the reason you succeed and others fail. It is the reason you have a fulfilled life and others taste regret. It is the difference between success and failure. It is the difference between the you that tried and the you that didn't try.

Discipline is the answer.

It is the answer to any problem that plagues you. It is the answer to any challenge you face. It is the answer to any obstacle that you need to overcome.

You already know what to do. Discipline will make you do it. 

Discipline is the answer to Fear.

The Friday Five - June 9, 2017

Five things to take into your weekend....

1.  Quote I'm Mulling Over - “You are a victim of the rules you live by.” ― Jen Sincero, You Are A Badass.

2.  Book I am reading - You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero will launch you past the fears and stumbling blocks that have kept financial success beyond your reach. Drawing on her own transformation—over just a few years—from a woman living in a converted garage with tumbleweeds blowing through her bank account to a woman who travels the world in style, Jen Sincero channels the inimitable sass and practicality that made You Are A Badass an indomitable bestseller. She combines hilarious personal essays with bite-size, aha concepts that unlock earning potential and get real results.

3.  Song of the Week - American Bad Ass by Kid Rock. Nothing encapsulates the badass attittude like Kid Rock and his music.

4.  Video of the Week -  "Go Ahead and Get Rich" from Jen Sincero herself, here is one of the techniques she features in her book You Are a Badass at Making Money. Jen has a particular flavor that makes reading and especially listening to her books really cool.  This video gives you a little taste of her flavor.

5.  Health & Fitness Tip of the Week - Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein - This is simply the best value protein powder out there.  Highly rated on every supplement rating scale it combines the essential proteins, BCAA's and Glutamine. It mixes well, tastes great and comes in over 20 different flavors.

Have a great weekend!!

And, please share! 

3 Things You Should Do Every Morning

On Monday, I posted I Eat Worms.  I wrote about getting up early, some benefits of getting up early and included a list of some pretty successful people who also got up early.  You can read that here.

There are a lot of things you can have in your morning routine.  And, there are certainly some that are more popular than others.  I list the most common below.  I purposely left out all the personal hygiene stuff.  I assume we are all doing that whether you are an early riser or not.

Here are 3 of the most common morning routine activities.

1.  Gratitude/meditation - expressing gratitude is an excellent way to greet the day and getting your mind right.  This one is on almost everyone's list that I found.

2.  Goals - set your goals for that day and review your long term goals.  This gets your mind focused on what actions you need to take to get to where you are going.  This is the setting of your mental compass.  The direction is going is more important than how fast you get there.  See "Should You Use A Clock or A Compass?"

3.  Exercise - this is the most common morning routine outside of brushing your teeth.  It is a great way to start your body and your day.

How do you get started?

I Beat My Kids

I beat my kids.  Really.  I do.  Whenever I can.

Every time we play any kind of game.  Be it a board game, card game or a game of H-O-R-S-E.  I try to beat them every time.

There are no participation trophies in our house.  Trophies are for winners who earn it.  The losers get nothing.  Second place? No trophy for you.  Wondering if losing is good for kids, then read "Should You Let Your Kids Fail?"

The lessons are winning and losing, being a good winner and a being a good loser.

Breakaway!

"Breakaway, breakaway, breakaway."  I could hear the words in my headset like someone other than me was saying them.  We were 25,000 feet up in the cold February air over Norway.  Our Marine Corps C-130 Airborne Refueler was refueling a couple of F-4 Phantoms.  

We were at war.

Here's the Best Way to Break A Bad Habit

It's January 5th.  Only five days into the New Year and your resolution. How you doing?

Breaking a bad habit can be tough.  If you've stuck with it this far, congratulations!  You're in the top 15% so far.  Here's the best way to keep going and break that old bad habit.

3 Proven Ideas To Help You Keep Your Resolutions

By January 15th of every year 88% of people who make New Year's Resolutions have broken them.  They find that they are unable to stick with them.  There are a lot of different reasons.

They may have tried to do too much, too soon.  They may have lacked a clear cut plan on how to achieve their goal.  They may not have had the support around them.  

Whatever the reason.  Resolutions are about making a change. And, change is never easy.  Especially if you are trying to break a habit that may have been around for ten, twenty, thirty years or even more.

When facing a particularly tough challenge or temptation, here are three proven ways that other people have used that work.  They can get you through that moment of temptation and help you continue on to achieve your goal.

1.  Don't negotiate with yourself.  This is that moment when you start to think "well one won't hurt."  It doesn't matter what the one is.  It will hurt.  You never negotiate with yourself about brushing your teeth.  There is no question.  You are going to do it.  The same attitude is necessary to keep that resolution  When you notice yourself starting to negotiate, stop yourself.  Do something outrageous to startle yourself and break the pattern. Remind yourself that it is over and you are moving on.

2.  Just get to the next meal.  This is a strategy used by a Navy Seal.  During some of the most rigorous training a human being can endure, when the temptation to quit was the highest, he simply focused on getting to the next meal.  By focusing on this short term goal he was able to get through a tough moment.  If you find yourself tempted to have that cigarette or sweet, just try holding out for a little longer.  Just get to the next meal.  Often the temptation passes and you can get through the moment.

3.  Get help.  Help does not have to be a professional.  Just start talking to someone you know.  Explain how you are trying to make this change and you are having a difficult time.  Talk it out.  More often than not, you will get the support and encouragement you need to get through it and carry on.  And, sometimes you may even get some new ideas that can help you stick with it.

Do you know someone working hard to stick with a resolution? Offer a word of encouragement.  Change can be difficult.  But, the change is usually worth it.

Share this post with them if you think it might help.  If you have any ideas on sticking with resolutions, please share them in the comments.

The #1 Question Making Your New Year's Resolution

It's that time of year again.  It's a New Year.  Again.

Time to set your goals for next year.  People go through this process every year.  Or, at least, most of us do.

Your success depends on the approach you take.  You come up with a goal.  Or, several.

You want to do this.  They want to do that.

You want to make this amount of money.  Or, lose this amount of weight.  Or, maybe both of those.  You make this list.  And, when you look at this list you ask yourself a question.

How am I going to do that?

5 Reasons You Should Just Go For It

There going to be times in your life when you have to decide to just go for it.  Opportunities are going to present themselves.  

Will you be ready?

Probably not.  But, you should go for it anyway.

Here are 5 reasons why you should.

3 Ways I Make Workout DVD's Workout For Me

Workout DVD's can be all the rage.  The slick advertising has you thinking you'll look like those fitness models in no time.  And, it will be so much fun!

Think again.

Working out is uncomfortable.  And, it is supposed to be.  It wouldn't work if it wasn't.  But, it does make you feel good both mentally and physically.

DVD's programs like P90X, 21 Day Fix, Insanity and Jillian Michael's Total Body are all very different programs serving different market segments.  But, they are all the same in that they provide you with a structured approach to working out.  You don't have to come up with the program yourself.

Just hit play.