8/1/09

Do You Practice Self Discipline, in the True Sense of the Words?

On Thursday, after the completion of a long twelve month consulting contract, I was making my final trip back to Iowa and had plenty of time for retrospect. As I was traveling the back roads of Kansas, I passed through the town of Phillipsburg and noticed a huge rodeo in progress. The banners all stated that this was the biggest rodeo in Kansas. There were no less than 100 horse trailers and well over 200 horses all around. Cowboys and Cowgirls were everywhere.

It made me think of the self discipline it took over the last year to achieve the goals that were set forth to and by me. I thought, "practice does make perfect", as the adage goes. And the case in point is that rodeos have grown out of a desire on the part of cowboys and cowgirls to demonstrate their skills. Skills they have developed, practiced and utilized everyday on the range. Somewhat like a subtle self discipline.

Their outstanding performances in the rodeo arena are only made possible by the unnoticed preparation day in and day out. The more you practice, the more you prepare, the better you will be. If you want to be the best you can be, you must develop self discipline.

Self Discipline like integrity, is one of those words we are all “pretty sure” we can define. Can you? What is your definition of self discipline? (And of course I’m not speaking about punishment)

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, “discipline” includes the field of study; training that corrects molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character. And “Self Discipline” is the correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement.

If you say to yourself that you are prone to be somewhat undisciplined, there is a cure for that and it’s called COMMITMENT! If you aren’t committed to your goals, you are just marking time in your organization. And I promise that when you make a commitment public, you typically set in motion powerful forces within your mindset. If you follow that commitment with integrity and exhibit self discipline, you will find that your performance matches your practice time after time.

Have a tremendous week. Call or write if I can be of any assistance.

Regards,
George F. Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources