One of the things I see that is sadly lacking is discipline, and self discipline. So many of the basic values are disappearing at an alarming rate, as political correctness (or is it madness?) takes their place.
In the 1940’s, a famous songwriter wrote a tune: ‘Anything Goes’. Well, in 2011 it sure does! We are now an "I want it now" society and environment. It seems that only a few families practice the value of contributing something to get the desired item.
I regret that over the years, I have been guilty of the above and the major regret of my life has been to give my children allowances without working for it, which made them dependent, not independent. In many ways, I have been responsible for not supporting them to be responsible in certain aspects of their lives.
I know the best experience I had was the discipline I received in boarding school and Naval Cadet Officers College. It taught me to have self-discipline.
Several months ago, I was invited to California to be part of a human potential video. There was a large contingent of well-known teachers. At the end of filming the individual segments, they had a fireside chat on the dos and don'ts of success for more than two hours. As the session came to a close, I could not help but comment: "I have heard you talk for more than two hours. I do not know if there is an aversion to using this word, or it has been eliminated from our vocabulary, however not once has the word 'discipline' been mentioned. How can you have success without discipline of our behaviors and actions?"
The great teacher, Napoleon Hill, talked about the importance of developing good habits that will effectively work for our lives. People let themselves off by saying, "this is who I am and I can’t change." I say to them, "you were not born with this behavior, you learnt it, so you can unlearn it and learn new behaviors that will work more effectively for your life – this requires discipline."
I understand that we are the only species on the planet that is given a mind that has choice. Good habits and behaviors will lead us to success. Bad habits can be broken and changed if they do not work for us.
What we think about happens. The thoughts we think create our reality. That is why it is so important that we learn to develop ‘leadership skills’ to be a leader of our life.
Develop a ‘Vision, Dream, Aspiration’ for our life which will bring transformation to our lives.