Tuesday, March 31, 1998

The joy of discipline

How do you think of discipline? Most of us know and understand the value of disciplined, focused effort, yet we find it difficult to put into practice. Thinking that we need to be more disciplined is one thing -- actually being more disciplined is something else altogether.

And it is in the thinking about discipline that we often set ourselves up to falter. We think of discipline as doing without. In order to focus on one thing, we see ourselves giving up all the other things we could be doing at the moment.

Yet discipline is ultimately enabling, not restraining. Without discipline, we have possibilities. With discipline, those possibilities become reality. Rather than giving up anything, discipline allows us to choose which of our many possibilities we most want to express.

Discipline is so much more practicable when you see the reality of what you’re doing, rather than lamenting the fantasy of what could have been. Disciplined effort brings you what you want. What could possibly top that?

— Ralph Marston

Attitude       If you care

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