“Some people regard discipline as
a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.”—Julie Andrew
The path of self-discipline is the surest way to build unshakable
character. It is the path that creates and nurtures success of every kind. It
is the bridge between dreams and accomplishments. It is a virtue anyone can
count on—even if he/she is an amateur or an also-ran. The process of
self-mastery is a proven and tested means to all enduring personal victories.
Self-discipline transformed Pete Carroll—who was largely
disregarded at some point—into one of the most celebrated coaches of all time. After
embracing the path, he earned himself a distinguished spot, as one of the only three
football coaches who won both a Super Bowl and a College Football National Championship
in the history of American sports—a raving feat for sure.
In his book, ‘Win Forever,’ he enlightens us that
self-discipline goes beyond training for the game of football, that we can all
strive to maximize our potentials in anything of value, that the path is about
striving to be better today than we were yesterday.
Now, to thinking men of ambition, Pete Carroll offers a line
of thought: "to win forever, always compete." By that he meant we
should always strive to be our best, even on our worst days of practice, of
business and of living. He says it is about continuous and never ending
improvement in every sphere of life; it is about progress in all areas that
count.
Furthermore, in order to improve constantly, he contends
that, champions decide to fall in love with the path and they choose to find
joy in the journey. They choose to focus not on their opponents but on
themselves. They rely on their strengths, their discipline, their habits, their
strategies, their routines, and their rituals. And as a result, they can
consistently deliver at the highest level of performance, even when
circumstances would apparently make it easier for them not to.
On this, permit me to quote Pete Carroll once more. He says:
"It's about us getting ready to play. It's not about the other team. We'll
beat ourselves before they beat us. That's always our approach." And
that’s how to proactively embrace the path of formidable self-discipline: the
only way to win forever.
However, relying on inspiration alone—the strategy of some
players— is not as effective in the long run. Yes, sometimes it does work. In
fact, it works superbly well whenever they have the passionate drive to pursue
their goals and dreams. But as soon as
they become tired, meet an obstacle or get frustrated, everything falls to
pieces. Therefore, they find it difficult to sustain their momentum.
To not embrace the path of consistent self-discipline is to
be sporadic and less reliable; this notion easily turns winners into has-been.
You win some days but you lose many days. However, enduring success is not earned
this way.
How to Remain an
Outstanding Winner
So, to be like the all-time greats, change your frame of
mind to believing in the process. Embrace the path of self-mastery: decide to
find joy in the grind. No matter how you feel or what you face, on any day,
just keep grinding. Make yourself fall
in love with the journey of growth and self-discovery. This is the high way to glory:
the way of the process.
It's what Pete Carroll relies on to join the class of the
elite. It’s what makes Michael Jordan, the greatest basketball player of
all-time. And it's what Rhonda Rousey relies on to become “one of the defining
athletes of 21st century,” according to Wikipedia. Embracing the path
of the process is the secret of unremitting motivation. It is the essence of
indefatigability.
Here is how Rhonda Rousey explains the concept further. She
says:
“Most people focus on the wrong thing; they focus on the
result, not the process. The process is the sacrifice; it's all the hard parts
- the sweat, the pain, the tears, the losses. You make the sacrifices anyway.
You learn to enjoy them, or at least embrace them. In the end, it is the
sacrifices that must fulfill you.”
And the way to develop this powerful mentality is to make a
habit of doing the right thing every time you have the impulse not to. Whenever
you feel the urge to procrastinate or goof off, compel yourself to do the opposite
of what ordinarily feels easy to do.
And as you order yourself to do this repeatedly, you will
soon gain access to a realm of power that is unattained by most people: the
incredible force of self-mastery. With it, there is no limit to what you can
accomplish.
Meanwhile, the ability to continuously do the hard right
comes from having full control over one’s emotions, appetites and inclinations.
But this is only possible for the strong few who have long chosen to make self-discipline
a permanent way of life.
Right here, Anthony
Robbins incites us to make this empowering decision by saying, “In essence, if
we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions.
It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do
consistently.” If we harness the power of self-discipline to build an enabling
habit of positive action, remarkable results will unfailingly find us.
Basically, the path comes down to delaying gratification;
the conscious process of choosing the pain of discipline over the ease of
complacency, every time, all the time. This is what superstars thoroughly understand.
They therefore decide to keep paying the price of growth, day in day out, even when
they feel like easing up a bit.
To join their ranks, we must learn to embrace the path of
self-discipline as a mode of living. And when we do, we shall win any gold
medal that we truly deserve.
However, we still need to realize above all else that,
self-mastery is its own reward, as George Leonard, the author of Mastery, stated
in his book: "The ultimate reward is not a gold medal but the path
itself."
This means that the greatest reward of self-discipline is
neither the medals nor the money but the exceptional person we eventually become
in the process of striving towards a higher level of consciousness throughout the
days of our lives.
