DESIRE TRUMPS DISCIPLINE - Desire Inspired Discipline Will Carry You From Wishing To Fulfillment

Want to make this year the year you finally keep your promises to yourself? The year you get and keep your weight where you've been wanting it for a long time? The year you stay with a great workout regimen? The year you actually make changes in your habits? The habits that have been keeping you stuck where you don't want to be? What do you want changed in your life? Getting out of a boring dead-end job, a toxic relationship, a yo-yo diet program, or any other negative situation can be removed if your desire is strong enough. A truly strong desire can move mountains that you may have considered immovable in the past. Your past failures, have nothing to do with your future successes. Therefore, wipe the slate clean. Yesterday ended last night. It has no place in your thoughts or actions today.

Do you realize that desires are unfulfilled possibilities within you that are trying to manifest through you? Think about that word “possibilities”. Isn't it exciting? We all have endless possibilities available to us. Let's tap into them.

Allow your desires to pull you into action, rather than trying to have discipline force you into action. Draconian discipline eventually incites rebellion, and you will probably undo all the progress you've made. This will cause you to become discouraged, and feel that you've proven to yourself once again that you've failed, that you can't do it. However, if you develop your desires, then discipline will automatically follow. You do this by constantly thinking about your desires, visualizing them being in the now. Think back to when you started a new diet and lost the first five pounds. You were so excited. It was always on your mind. It didn't seem difficult to eat less, and exercise more. This is because your desire was in high gear. You have to get the mental equivalent of looking like you want to look, being in the job you love, going through a powerful workout, living free and happy from a toxic relationship. The quotation, "A picture is worth a thousand words." is true. If you want to loose weight, cut out pictures of someone the size you want to be, and past a picture of your head on it. Or better yet, dig out a picture of yourself, when you were younger, thinner, etc. Post this where you see it regularly, or carry it with you in your pocket or purse. If you want a new car, go to a dealer and request a nice brochure of the car you want, or have a picture taken of yourself getting into the car. Do the same with any goal you want to reach. It's critical to helping you reach any goal, from a new hair style, to a new home. Look at your goals and pictures at least three times a day, especially last thing at night and first thing in the morning. If you spend time not only every day, but every free minute that you have, visualizing and feeling the exhilaration of accomplishment, you won't even have to think about working on your discipline. This is the level of desire that you want to develop and maintain, until it becomes a habit. If you're tempted to slide off your diet, bring yourself back to a high level of desire by looking at the picture of your “new you”.

Don't misunderstand me. I do not believe that discipline is a dirty word. It can set you free in so many areas of your life you will be amazed. You feel free, knowing that you can go out to dinner, or to a party, and not fall off your diet. You feel free knowing that you're going to handle your work on time, because you've developed the discipline to follow through on it. You feel free knowing that your new set of habits will move you toward your goals. The great thing about desire inspired discipline is that it grows and gains strength until it's an automatic way of life. Then it becomes your ally in every avenue of living. The disciplined person gets things done when they should be done. Time management guru, Brian Tracy says, “Anyone can do what they feel like doing. What separates the winners from the losers are people who do what needs to be done whether they feel like it or not.”

Another great quote that I rely on to inspire me when I'm doing my workout is from the incredible NFL player, Jerry Rice. “Today I will do what others won't, so that tomorrow I can accomplish what others can't.” Jerry Rice is widely considered one of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history, and among the greatest NFL players overall. This proves to me that his attitude works, and that he walked his talk. Ponder for a moment on his words, and keep them to the forefront of your mind. I have them printed out and posted on the wall in my workout area. This is an important attitude to adapt at any age, but especially important for the Baby Boomer (and beyond) generation. Ask yourself, “How would I feel, if I couldn't exercise?” I ask you, how would you feel if you knew that the reason you can no long exercise is because you didn't take the time or make the effort to do it when you could? I can pretty much assume that you would be steeped in regrets.

I'm reminded of the words of the late, great Jim Rohn. “You either pay the price of self-discipline, or you pay the price of regret. Discipline weighs about one ounce, regret weighs about one ton.” What was so important to do, when you were physically able to exercise, that it totally consumed your time? My friend, Jack La Lanne used to say, “We squander our health in order to gain wealth. Then we have to spend our wealth, in an effort to regain our health.”

If you're healthy now (and I hope you are) do everything possible to keep it that way. Love yourself and your family enough to make sure that you discipline your actions. to take care of yourself while you can. If you aren't healthy now, don't despair. You can always improve your health, your relationships, your finances or anything else in your life, if you're willing to make the effort. There are reams of research that prove, without a doubt, that health and fitness levels can be improved when one is in their 70s, 80s or even 90s. It is never to late to improve. Keep your desire of being healthy, and any other goal, to the forefront of you mind.

Every day a breakdown is postponed, increases the possibility of it never happening. Understand that your brain is so sensitized that it remembers how you reacted yesterday. If you were frustrated and decided to soothe your frustrations with cookies, then your brain is trained to react that way the next time you have a crisis or frustration. However, if you take 20 deep breaths, do some stretches, walk around the room, or do some pushups, your brain is now trained to do this the next time you're upset. It only takes one time to start the training process of your brain. Tomorrow's success depends on today's performance.

I hope I've given you a new way to look at discipline ..... a helpful tool to accomplish your goals, and that you will use it to make this year your best year yet. No matter what time of the year it is – January, June or December you can make a new start from where you are right now. Today is the only time that counts,....the now.

If you can only remember what you truly want, what you truly desire, you will find that desire inspired discipline will carry you from wishing to fulfillment.