Discipline

Purpose, legacy, clarity, resilience, fortitude, and many other words have been used to describe those among us that achieve amazing feats. I would propose that none of those descriptors are as important as disciplined. Originally from the Latin words meaning “instruction” or “knowledge”, discipline can be defined in several ways:

A system of rules of conduct;

Activity or experience that provides physical or mental training; or

Controlled behavior.

Another definition I find quite interesting is: the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience. All of these are quite appropriate definitions and it’s been my experience that when I don’t “follow or comply” with a particular code of conduct, my disobedience is punished.

A little over a decade ago, I held a position in Sales within an Auto Dealership. About six or seven months after beginning my employment, an opportunity for a promotion was available. My prior experience was aligned with the position, but during a conversation with the hiring manager, my attendance and tardiness were mentioned as reasons for ineligibility. Personalities and politics aside, had I exercised discipline during my initial tenure, those things would not have been mentioned. I may not have been promoted in any case, but that’s merely speculative.

We all have times when we don’t exhibit out best versions of ourselves. We all fall short, day in and day out of peak performance. It’s relatively easy to complain and shine a light on our shortcomings, the more challenging task, and I believe, more beneficial, is to look at our improvements. Slight progress is progress. At some point in the future, I may write about the Japanese principle of “Kaizen” but succinctly, it’s the philosophy that small, incremental improvements over long periods of time make significant changes.

A disciplined approach to my career, my spiritual life, my physical well being, my financial life, and every other area of life, can and will be improved my a more disciplined approach. The challenge most have is not following the system.

If you recall the first definition, “a system of rules of conduct”, you’ll may postulate the following few questions:

Am I following rules of conduct?

If so, who’s rules of conduct?

If not, how can I find these rules of conduct?

Which areas of my life can I begin to apply more discipline?

Which rules of conduct can I follow to improve those areas?

Those are just a few questions to help along your journey.

Today, Tuesday, January 2, 2024, I am grateful that:

I’m intentionally writing to my audience. In years past, I would write my lists as a means to enhance my relationship with my Creator. I believe the lists still help in that regard, but I have come to believe that these lists do not have to be singular in purpose.

I made some progress on the domain name registration, setting up payments, and a couple of small items. “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch” comes to mind. A little finished everyday, makes for a productive week.

I got a chance to talk to Gary yesterday. We hadn’t spoke all year, so it was good to catch up for bit. He and the family as doi

This is the first part of the entry.