Generational Discipline

By Michael Janke

" Man is still responsible. He must turn the alloy of modern experience into the steel of mastery and character. His success lies not with the stars, but with himself. He must carry on the fight of self-correction and discipline."

-Frank Curtis Williams

In today’s fast-paced world of technology, stress, and ever-changing business, people are in such a hurry to get somewhere that they forget what they are leaving behind. If you stop and think about it, every word, every action, and everything we do throughout the day leaves an impression on the people around us. Whether it’s our co-workers, family, or friends that we interact with, our commitment to personal discipline is the foundation of our perceived character.

Although we might not realize it, each day we leave an indelible impression of our personal self-worth, beliefs, work ethic, and character with every person we come in contact with. Over a period of days, weeks, and years these little impressions begin to build a picture or "advertisement" of our character for others to see. It is human nature to make mistakes, but it is also human nature to overlook the legacy of daily impressions we leave behind.

Generational discipline is the legacy that each of us leaves behind for our friends, spouses, and children to remember us by. It is also the legacy of our work ethic that our co-workers, employers, and customers remember us by. Every day that we show up to work, interact, and perform a task, we are building our own "advertisement" for others to see. Small things that we do might not seem like a big deal at the time, but over the course of our careers they amount to nothing less than our character image. Words like teamplayer, selflessness, commitment, and integrity are used to describe a person that focuses on his or her daily performance.

Around 40 years ago, Yale University conducted an extensive seven-year study on how a persons actions in life effects the lives of his or her children. This study was focused around the lives of two men: Max Jukes and Jonathan Edwards. Max Jukes was an Atheist that believed in the abolition of laws and rules. Mr. Jukes formed an organization called the Freedom Movement that preached free sex, no laws, no formal education and no responsibilities. Jonathan Edwards was known by all as the "disciplinarian". Not because he disciplined his children harshly, but because he was a self-disciplined man. He became a preacher that believed in leading by example. He authored two books on the subjects of physical fitness and kindness. Mr. Edwards later became involved in teaching people to be responsible for their daily actions. Both of these men were chosen for their diverse beliefs, but also because they both fathered 13 children. Here are the legacies they left behind:

Throughout my travels as a professional speaker, I am constantly asked the question of "what effect does self-discipline have on my life?" Sure, becoming disciplined will change your life for the better, but real results are seen in the legacy we leave behind. When we begin to use self-discipline to control our emotional highs and lows, our appearance, our work ethic, and our commitment to physical exercise, we are doing much more than improving our own lives. Our ability to begin focusing on our daily performance is directly proportional to the success our generations will experience. Today is not about you, your job, your bank account, or even your own personal satisfaction. Today is about the legacy you leave behind.

Take the time to slow down and examine every aspect of your actions, words, and thoughts throughout the day. Make it a priority to exhibit the trait of self-discipline. Begin focusing on the "advertisement" that you are showing your co-workers, friends, and family. The ability to control your life through the power of self-discipline, is not only the secret to a lifetime of success, but the determining factor of the legacy you leave behind. The legacy of self-discipline.

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.