Monday, 13 August 2007
DISCIPLINE
Well, this is not exactly a word that most of us really like to hear. Then again, I felt that it is a timely reminder for all who are going through your major exams (and other not so major exams) to press on in disciplining and prioritizing your time. There’re always so many things screaming for our attention- friends, handphone, girls/boys, the TV, our computers…more friends… Anyway, you get my drift. So, here’s a write up I got from this book entitled, ‘Being a Happy Teen,’ which I hope would give you some nuggets of wisdom on the importance of discipline in our lives…=) Enjoy.
Discipline in the little things go a long way…Have discipline to do little things you don’t like, and you can spend your life doing the big things you do like. Discipline is not everyone’s favourite word. In popularity, it probably slots somewhere between dentist and diarrhea. But self-discipline makes all the difference. Life is a trade-off between instant pleasure and long term reward.
Self-discipline in the little things- studying instead of TV- leads to a big thing- better results.
Self-discipline in the little things- three sessions a week at the gym (or exercising!)- leads to a big thing- a healthier life.
Self-discipline in the little things- saving five dollars a day instead of blowing it on junk food- leads to a big thing- your own car.
The key to self-discipline is knowing WHY you want something. If you have a target and something to save for, it’s easier to save. If you are clear about why you want to improve your results, it’s easier to study.
Something else about discipline: when you are self-disciplined, you don’t need to get disciplined from anywhere else. As a result, you run your own life and people don’t tell you what to do.
When you don’t have self-discipline, you get it from outside. People who have absolutely no self-discipline, get themselves locked up!
The frog principle…There is an old story about a frog and a bucket of water. It illustrates the law of deterioration…
If you take an intelligent, happy frog and drop him into a bucket of boiling water, what will the frog do? Jump out! Instantly, the frog decides: “This is no fun- I’m gone!”
But take the same frog, or a relative, and drop him into a bucket of cold water, put the bucket on the stove and gradually heat up the bucket. What then? The frog’s relaxing, and a few minutes later he says to himself: “It seems warm in here.” Soon enough, you have a cooked frog.
The moral of the story? When change is gradual, the frog doesn’t notice what is happening until it’s too late. Like the frog, we can also be fooled, and suddenly it’s too late!
Question- If you woke up tomorrow 20 kilos heavier, would you be worried? Sure you would! You would be calling the hospital: “Emergency! I’m fat!” But when things happen gradually, a kilo this month, a kilo next month, we tend to let it go. Suddenly you are 20 kilos heavier.
When you overspend on your budget by ten dollars in one day, it’s no big deal. But if you do it again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next, you end up broke. For people who go broke, put on weight, fail their exams, it usually isn’t one big disaster- it’s a bit today and a bit tomorrow- and then one day “Kaboom!”- and they say: “What happened?”
Little things add up to big things- like the drops of water that wear away the rock. The frog principle is telling us to watch the trends. Each day, we ask ourselves: “Where am I heading? Am I fitter, healthier, happier, godlier, a stronger Christian than I was last year?” If not, we need to change what we’re doing.
IN A NUTSHELL…There’s no standing still- you’re either gaining or slipping.
Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.
Proverbs 13:18
He who ignores discipline comes to poverty and shame, but whoever heeds correction is honored.
Proverbs 15:32
He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.
Prayer…Father, I thank You for reminding me today about the importance of holding to the age-old wisdom of having discipline in my life. Help me, dear Lord, to make wise decisions every day about my time, studies, and friendships, as I plan to work on inculcating discipline in my life, so that I might not waste away or fall to complacency, but grow from strength to strength in Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Feel the vibe}};
19:44
19:44