Back to: The Power of Self-Discipline

Introduction. My friend Kevin is one of the smartest people I know hands down. Nobody even comes close.
I went to a pretty good, highly ranked university in California. In my close circle of friends,
Kevin outshone everybody else. It’s as if he can figure out complicated math equations in the
back of his head. In fact, one time we were talking about the Heisenberg uncertainty principle while
leading pizza. There I was completely stumped about this theory. And my friend Kevin broke it
down in between bites of a slice of pizza. That’s how brilliant he was and still is. Kevin was so
sharp that he only needed to show up in class once. And that is to take roles so the professor
doesn’t drop him on the first day. And he refused to go to the class ever again. When exam time rolls
around, you can count on Kevin to get at least an A. He did this like clockwork. In fact, in many
cases, he got awards and honors and he didn’t even have to show up for the lectures. I remember
laughing when he asked me for any notes that I had for a class he completely ditched. I was
laughing because I thought he was just wasting his time. How can this guy ever pass much less get an
A when he didn’t even bother to show up boy was I surprised when the guy got better grades than I
did. And he didn’t cheat. That’s how talented Kevin was and still is. But Kevin, just like most
people has a weakness. We all have our own peculiar and particular shortcomings. It comes with the
territory. Kevin is no exception. His problem was self discipline. He had a Ferrari engine,
but he did not want to drive it in a disciplined, methodical and systematic way. Now he is twice
divorced, living in an apartment whose rent he could barely afford and constantly drinking his
problems away. When I think about the life of my friend Kevin, I not only focus on the missed
opportunities for career advancement and accomplishments that he is otherwise capable of achieving.
I also think about the rest of us. I think about how we missed out because he did not get his act
together to fully unlock his potential so the rest of society could benefit from his genius.
Kevin could have been the next dot com billionaire. He could have been the next web 2.0 genius that
revolutionized technology. But there he is in the San Francisco Bay Area struggling to get by and
what essentially is a minimum wage. What’s going on? How can somebody with so much potential end up
with so little? It turns out that self discipline is not a neat little trait that we can choose to
have. It is the trait for ultimate success. Without self discipline, everything else falls apart.
You may not be the sharpest tool in the shed and that’s okay. If you are self disciplined enough
to figure out what you need to learn so you can achieve a little bit more tomorrow, eventually
you’ll get there. Self discipline is crucial because there are so many distractions trying
to divert our attention from what’s important and what is truly worthy. You must understand that
life is full of rewards. But the problem is the biggest rewards that life has to offer are only
attained through a long sustained period of focused effort. Discipline is crucial for everything in
our lives. This training gives you a practical framework on how to practice and develop self
discipline so you can become more successful in all areas of your life. It helps you develop a new
mindset so you no longer have to continue to struggle. Eventually, you will reach a point that
things seem to magically fall into place. It’s not because there is actual magic involved,
but because you are so disciplined that opportunities come to you and things start to flow. You can
achieve this state, but the price is high and the journey is long. Are you willing to take that journey?