DISCIPLINE
DEFICIENCY
and the excuse virus
By Michael Janke
A lack of discipline in any individual, group, or
society can lead to disaster. The abilities of an individual to self-manage his
or her actions are proportional to the level of success and happiness they will
experience in their lifetime. Self-discipline is not about punishment or even
about a restrictive lifestyle. It is the ability of the individual to adhere to
actions, thoughts, and behaviors that result in personal improvement instead of
instant gratification. A lack of self-discipline is the main reason for the
failures we experience in both our personal and professional lives. It is also
the underlying reason we experience disease, obesity, financial ruin, and
relationship problems on a national level.
Self-discipline
is much like the operating systems we use for our computers. Systems like
Windows 98 or Macintosh OS are what we use to direct and control every aspect of
a computer’s functions. A computer without an operating system is much like a
person who lacks discipline. They both have a tremendous amount of potential and
power, but have no way of functioning properly. Unlike a computer, we are
blessed with the gift of free will, but without self-discipline we are
susceptible to the viruses of instant gratification, excuses, and bad habits.
The most
common and destructive virus found in our personal operating system is the
justification virus. As human beings, we have the tendency to justify our poor
decisions by using excuses. We use the power of excuses to justify our poor
performance, our attitudes, our problems, and ultimately our lack of overall
happiness.
Once
we begin to consciously recognize the excuses we use to justify the
circumstances in our lives, we can focus our efforts towards fixing the real
problem. Before we can develop the power of self-discipline, we must first take
an honest and direct look at the excuses we use to justify our problems and poor
daily performance. Keep in mind that as human beings we will always make
mistakes and blunders, but it is through the power of self-discipline that we
are able to diminish their impact on our lives.
In
order to begin combating the virus of excuses, we must take a look at some of
the more common problems that exist in our lives and the excuses that we use to
justify them. One of the most effective methods that you can use to identify the
problems that exist in your life is to make a detailed list of your problems and
excuses. By writing down this information you are able to take an objective look
at what viruses are affecting your personal operating system. Here is an example
of some common problems that we experience and the resulting excuses we use to
justify them. I encourage you to sit down and objectively think about the
problems that exist in your life, and the excuses you use to justify them.
THE
EXCUSE VIRUS
PROBLEM
EXCUSE
1.
Overweight-
“I don’t have time to eat right!”
2.
Procrastination-
“I can only do so much in a day!”
3.
Always in debt-
“They don’t pay me enough!”
4.
Stressed out-
“I never have time to relax!”
5.
Marital conflict-
“He/she is just too demanding!”
6.
Work performance-
“If they paid me more –I’d do more!”
7.
Smoking-
“I need it for stress relief!”
8.
Drinking-
“One drink never hurt anybody!”
9.
Diet-
“Who has time to prepare a meal!”
10.
No daily exercise-
“I just can’t find the time!”
11.
Anger-
“They had it coming to them!”
12.
Depression-
“Nothing ever goes right for me!”
13.
Poor appearance-
“It’s the newest fashion!”
14.
Divorce-
“We just couldn’t work it out!”
15.
Lack of Self-discipline-
“I have enough things to worry about!”
This
list of problems and excuses is simply an example of our inherent tendency to
justify our words, actions, and behaviors. The problems we face and the methods
we use to deal with them vary from individual to individual, but the underlying
solution will always remain consistent. Before you can inject discipline into
your personal operating system, you must take the action of personal
responsibility. Get in the habit of identifying the real reason behind the
circumstances in your life and defeat the excuse virus.
TO
THE READER
I hope that you enjoyed this article. This article is taken from my new
book entitled, “POWER
LIVING – Mastering The Art of Self-Discipline”. Please don’t get
the impression that I am trying to give you the answers to all of the
world’s problems, but rather that I have a few ideas and experiences
that have been proven to work –even in life and death situations.
We are all trying to improve something about ourselves. It seems that
everywhere you turn there is some slick-talking ex-car salesman trying to
make a buck off of an instant success formula –there is no such thing. I
have spent over 12 years studying and practicing personal achievement and
discipline-building tools in the world of special operations. Through it
all, I have come to realize that all of the answers to achievement are
found right in your pretty little head. The trick is to dig deep and go a
little further than the next guy.
Remember that whatever you consider to be successful, someone, somewhere
has already done it. Learn how, why, and what he/she did to accomplish it.
This is the fastest way to getting what you want. I highly encourage you
to read the rest of my book, not because I want your money –but because
you have already invested the time to learn a new way of becoming a better
person by reading this article.
