Character Building Weapon: Discipline

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." ~ Jim Rohn Discipline is doing the things you have to do, whether you feel like it or not. All the goals I have accomplished in my life resulted from taking action towards achieving them on a daily basis. Discipline is the beginning of success. Of the thirteen weapons, Discipline is first and foremost. With Discipline, you will positively influence the people around you.

I start each morning with a rigorous physical workout. I make my bed, followed by a good breakfast, and on my travel to work I listen to educational or inspirational audiobooks. This disciplined approach to simple tasks centers me for the rest of the day. It prepares me to do the most difficult tasks first thing in the morning when I'm most mentally alert and physically strong. This is respecting myself. Not being Disciplined is easy. Look at the world around you and see the increasing number of obese kids and adults. This is the result of choosing the path of least resistance. Many people lack the Discipline to eat less and exercise more. I say choose the path of most resistance. At first, everything is difficult. However, the more Disciplined you get, the easier it becomes. Discipline becomes part of you. It becomes habitual and automatic. Jim Rohn said, "We must all suffer one of two things, the pain of Discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment." I have chosen the pain of Discipline and it has brought me joy and happiness in the accomplishment of my dreams. When I was a full time graduate student at the University of San Diego, I was running a full time Martial Arts business. I had to take a disciplined approach to complete my Master of Science in Executive Leadership. In addition to my normal routine, each morning, I spent a minimum of two hours studying. With this routine, I was able to earn A's in most of my classes. The discipline required to get A's in graduate school is the same discipline needed to achieve excellence in Martial Arts. This is why I believe the study of Martial Arts is education. It requires the same Discipline to achieve higher levels of success.