It’s amazing to watch the world through the eyes of a child.  The exposure we gain is immeasurable.  The evaluation skills we can take and the questioning of everything by the child gives pause to our often routine, busy lives.

Wesley, my son, does all that and more for me.  He causes me to really evaluate and question the most important skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions that must be undertaken to create greater success.

Most of us look at success as a very complex combination of skills, abilities, attitudes, and actions joined together in a magical or secret formula to achieve grand results.  Recently, in evaluating success, I realized that one thing reigns supreme.  It struck me that if I could instill that one thing in Wesley in his lifetime, his success in anything was assured.  That one thing is discipline.

Discipline is the fundamental building block that most people utilize to achieve greater success in life.  Once you have acquired the skill of discipline, it doesn’t matter what the economy is doing or what business you are in, your success is within reach at all times.  You possess the most important tool to help you through the storms and changes of life. 

Discipline is a crucial missing piece for many people.  I believe that, because our country has become so prosperous, we take the need for discipline for granted.  Older people in our society remember the sacrifices they had to make to achieve a greater measure of success.

People like myself, who were born in the 1960’s and beyond, have grown up in a vacuum compared to older generations.  We are far too removed from the World War I generation, Depression generation, World War II generation, and even the Korean War generation.  Those generations needed discipline just to survive.  In modern day America, you don’t need discipline to survive.  We have slowed the train down, so undisciplined people can stay on the train.  Discipline is the “secret weapon” of successful people.  It is the one big tool that separates them from all others.

If we can control and discipline three key areas of our life, we can control and discipline anything.  These three areas are the toughest for most people to discipline themselves to take control of:

1. Our Finances:

I meet too many high production salespeople who can’t control their money.  Their hands are like a colander with lots of holes . . . the money just runs right through, and it all runs out.  In the end, it’s not what you gross – it’s what you net.  It’s not what you make – it’s what you keep.

I always tell salespeople that I can easily teach them how to make another $100,000 in less than a year, but if they only net 20 cents on the dollar I haven’t really helped them that much.  We have to learn the skill of increase, coupled with the skill of discipline and control, to dramatically change our financial picture.

1. The Cleanliness of Our Home:

It takes discipline and hard work to maintain your home.  For Joan and I, the battle increased exponentially with Wesley.  Those of you with children know what a challenge this is daily.  It’s easy to let the laundry pile up, to not make the beds, to not control the kitchen.  It’s harder to have the discipline to keep the house in order.

1. Our Weight:

For many of us, controlling what we eat and how much we move daily is a tremendous battle.  I made a decision in the fall of 2003 that I was too short for my weight.  Given the low probability of an increase in height, I decided I needed to be more disciplined about my weight . . . what I ate and how much I moved.  Through regular exercise and better eating, I was able to shed twenty pounds in a few months.  Now the discipline part really kicks in on keeping it off.

Anyone who desires success must have discipline.  Success is attracted to you because of the person you become.  It comes to you due to the plan you are working and the specific actions you take to implement the plan.

It takes discipline to plan; to set the necessary time aside to evaluate the conditions; to construct the plan that takes advantage of the current conditions and skills that you possess.  You also must evaluate the weaknesses that must be addressed to increase the probability of your success.

It takes discipline to plan, and it also takes discipline to implement the plan.  Most people quit before the plan can take full root and work.  We live in a society where we all want instant success without significant effort.  If we really knew the grand future that awaits us, if we could really see it, touch it, and feel it, we would be ready to implement disciplined activity to achieve it.  In short, we would be willing to pay the price to get there.

An effective strategic plan should inject emotion and passion into you.  You should be able to feel that emotion and passion.  And that feeling, coupled with discipline, will move you to take action.  Taking action is really the goal for a successful person.

Resolve today to decide on one disciplined action you should take, and do it.  Don’t wait until tomorrow; do it today.  Don’t wait until you feel like it, because you probably never will.  Make the decision right now to do it!

Discipline is not magical; it’s merely movement . . . regularly, consistently, purposefully.  Discipline is the link between your thoughts and your accomplishments – connect them today!