Controlling Yourself

Is a good life possible without self-discipline?  

We all have impulses and desires.  But if we follow them as they arise, we will not wind up in a good place.  Think of people you know who live marred or unhappy lives.  I bet lack of self-control is at the root of most cases.

“He who overcomes others is strong, but he who overcomes himself is mightier still.” – Lao Tzu

Do you enjoy freedom and happiness by exercising self-control?

"Character is Destiny"

“Character is Destiny” – Heroclitis

Lots of people are smarter than you. But if they don’t have the character to back it up, they can’t succeed like you can.  

Which would you rather be – super talented but have inconsistent or dubious character, or be of average talent and high character?

Generate Energy

A power plant doesn’t have energy, it generates it.  

Enthusiasm, motion, focus – it comes from inside you, not outside.

Are you generating enough energy?

Neck-top computer

You have a laptop.  You have a smartphone. 

But don’t forget – you are the human-in-charge.  All of that other stuff is to serve you and help you be the best version of you that you can.

Sweat more in training, bleed less in war

When I show up at the Baja 1000 starting line at 4 am on Nov 17, either I am prepared, or I am not.  There isn’t much I can do about it then.  When I show up in front of a School of Entrepreneurship class, either I am prepared, or I am not.  When I show up to run my business and make a call, either I have done my homework, or not.

This is why top performers spend most of their time preparing – whatever that looks like in the given endeavor.

Have you prepared yourself to win?

Conquer your digital addiction

Smartphones, computers, social media, video, digital shopping, notifications, texts, etc. etc.  So many benefits…

What is it doing to you?  Your sleep?  Your ability to focus?  Your social skills?  Your attention?  Your time?  

Our brains and social needs were not made for this. 

Use it, benefit from it, but be its master.  Often, shutting it off at the right time is not a punishment, but a merciful reprieve so you may experience your human consciousness.

The Law of Attraction

It’s simple.  That which you fix your mind on you will attract in life.  Don’t argue. You don’t even have to agree – but that’s how it works.  So you may as well embrace it. 

So how do we use this?  First, we need to STOP thinking and dwelling on what we don’t want – because we are attracting it! 

Next, we need to think about what we DO want.  We need to get clarity, envision the details, and spend time with it.  Then we need to keep those ideas and visions of what we want in front of us every day.  (I put post-it notes on my bathroom mirror so I see them first thing in the morning and last thing at night!)

When we keep it in front of our mind, we find ourselves thinking about it, and doing things that take us toward it.

We create outcomes in our minds first, keep them there, and they come true in reality.

What are you thinking about?

Disciplining Desire

In Napoleon Hill’s classic book “Think and Grow Rich” he identifies desire as the starting point of all achievement.  Of course, he was not talking about any desire – but a desire for a positive result, outcome or personal goal.  

We all have desires, but we have to discern which ones will take us to long-term success and happiness and which will only lead to problems for us.  Then we need to choose to follow the right ones and be self-disciplined enough to forego the wrong ones.

“The discipline of desire is the backbone of will and character” – Will and Ariel Durant

Which desires are you chasing?

I didn't buy the car

“People don’t want things, they want the emotions that come with them.” – Tony Robbins

Usually, when you buy a new car, it makes you feel good. Maybe it’s a landmark in your life. Maybe it tells you that you don’t have to worry or that people will look at your cool car and think you are cool too. Maybe it means your family will be secure and safe and have reliable transportation.

I went down to the Chevy dealer to buy a new car. I test drove one and it was great and all, but I didn’t buy it.  When I drove my old car home, I realized that the old one was pretty good. (OK, it’s only four years old.) I determined that the new one would not make a lot of difference. Any emotional high I got out of it would be short-lived, so why bother?  

I’m not making any argument about buying a new car or not. More, I am calling attention to recognizing WHY we do things. Are they important long term? Or do they just give us an emotional quick hit, and then we have to live with our decisions.  Can we get that emotional satisfaction a different way? (i.e. maybe I have my old car fixed and detailed.) Or can I think about it some more and when considering the long-term effects of the decision that will come, make the emotional itch go away?

We’re human; we’re emotional. Emotions are how we experience life. But if we let our emotions make us impulsive, we’ll make some poor decisions. 

Don’t you think? 

Is the story real?

We make stuff up.  We combine an edited version of what happened, our emotions and imagination and wind up with a story.  We tell ourselves the story over and over and our brain believes the story because it does not distinguish between what is real and what is vividly imagined.

Just like that – bang! – you’re mentally handicapped.

Is the story (as you tell it to yourself) real?