Most people who study or research success or personal growth soon discover the power of discipline to be one of the key contributing factors. The power of follow through, the commitment to staying the distance is a key driver for those who rise to the top of their profession or sport, or achieve the level of personal growth that they aspire to. It comes down to focussing on the end result. It is having a burning ambition as Napoleon Hill discovered.
BKS Iyengar in The Tree of Yoga speaks of the discipline required to master yoga for improving one’s health. Many do not have it and turn to other methods such as Ayurvedic medicine to heal. With enough focus and will power the yoga practitioner has the a ability to heal the body and bring it back to a state of wellness. It is the same in the west, people not possessing the willpower turn to medication to solve their problems. We let ourselves down by not staying true to our convictions and believing we are less than we really are. Many times this has been force fed to us by those around us and is the key operating system for the fake news must people digest on a daily basis. I heard recently that about 2% of the population are operating without a moral compass, yet it is this minority that gets all the attention.
James Arthur Ray in this video Harmonic Wealth clearly points out their are three parts to achieving our desired outcomes – thought – feeling -action.
A breakdown in any of these three and we most likely going to fail. Having a clearly defined vision or goal, having the courage to stay focussed and on target no matter what we are presented with is a path to a higher development of ourselves and the outcomes we desire.
Willpower is something Paul Bragg seemed to have in spades. He was able to overcome childhood illness and change the lives of thousands of people including Dr John DeMartini.
Ghandi showed discipline is a subtle way which helped to bring down the British Empire’s rule in the subcontinent. He did it by holding true to the core values of the higher aspiration of humanity.
Discipline makes armies function, it takes sports teams to the winners circle. It is the ingredient that took Andrew Carnegie to the top of the powerful group of business men in this era. He rose from a humble Scottish emigrant to the one of the most successful men of his era.
What is discipline? Basically it could be described as knowing where you are going and staying the distance, keeping on the path no matter what. It is never giving up.
The Knights Templar were in their time the finest fighting force in the Christian Crusades, They trained from a young age and as long as their banner flew they never left the field of battle. Death before dishonour could easily be applied to these warriors. Usually they were the first in and last out of the battle. So well disciplined that at the battle of Bannockburna small band of Knights Templar entered the fray and the English King withdrew, handing victory to the Scots. Few people today have that level of commitment, to put everything on the line, but we can learn and apply the same concept to our modern world. Focus brings with it a power, an ability to influence, one could say, the ability to attract.
To know where we are going, why we are going there and having the commitment and belief in ourselves to see the job completed is the hallmarks of the disciplined.
Sometimes it comes down to making the decision, I’m doing it. That’s it. Period and having unwavering devotion to your cause.
