The other day, I jumped on the scale and realized that I’m starting to pick up a few pounds. Nothing major, but I made a commitment to myself to never get back where I was. I had promised myself that, when I got five pounds heavier, I’d cut back on what I was eating and exercise a bit more. Five pounds quickly turned to seven, and seven became nine. Sound familiar?
I tried to justify it because of this or that, but when it’s all said and done, I started drifting back towards my old, undisciplined self. Well, that ends today. Winston Churchill once said “all great things are decided…by willpower. Whoever has it will finally prevail.”
When I first started exercising again and eating right, I felt better than I had in a long time. I have been blessed with an amazing turnaround, and I realize that discipline and willpower were a huge part of my success. Yesterday, I spoke to a young priest I hadn’t seen in a long while. He told me how well I looked and I responded by saying that I had made some major changes in my life for the better. The only word he said in response to that was “discipline.” Yes, in many ways, it’s as easy as that. This man of few words had hit the nail on the head.
No matter what it is that you need to tackle, be it schoolwork, finding a job, getting healthy, developing a prayer life, or whatever it may be for you, it all begins with discipline. Set some reasonable goals, write them down, and get working.
When you start achieving some successes, and you will with hard word, don’t slack off and fall back into your old ways. Set new goals, keep expanding your horizon, dream big. One thing will lead to another, and who knows how far you’ll go. Never give up!
