A case of the Mondays.

There’s a good chance you’re not too excited when Monday rolls around. 

You had a good weekend, but the idea of a new week is too much to contemplate. 

It means heading back to work, back to a schedule, back to the same routine and obligations you have every week. 

You don’t want to do it. 

Every fiber of your being would rather do anything else. 

And therein lies your greatest opportunity. 

The growth and life change you so desperately seek will always be found on the other side of things you’d rather not do.

Learning to push through something you don’t want to do and getting yourself through it is the most important skill you’ll ever develop. 

Everything you want and need in life comes this way. 

So get excited when Monday rolls around. It’s a new opportunity to practice the art of forcing yourself to do things you don’t want to do. 

Every second counts.

You don’t reach worth while goals overnight. 

They take relentless pursuit, hard work, and patience. 

You also don’t fall apart overnight either. 

It happens over time. 

Success and failure are both slow processes. 

That’s why you have to pay attention. 

That’s why you have to stay on guard and resist the urge to coast. 

Every second counts. 

In each one, you are either gaining or losing ground. 

So make them count. 

Don’t take them off. 

Don’t let up. 

Don’t buy the lie that this second or that second doesn’t matter. 

What is discipline?

This is a blog committed to delivering daily notes on discipline to your inbox. 

Discipline has a strange reputation. It either causes you to wince and squirm or sets your heart and mind to racing.

You’re either all in with discipline or can’t stand to think about it. 

Whichever your reaction, you may not have paused to think about exactly what discipline is, its role in your life.  

That’s what this entire site is about. It’s dedicated to the single aim of helping you see how discipline applies to every area of your life. 

There isn't one facet of your life greater discipline couldn’t improve. Mainly because discipline isn’t about changing the world around you. It's concerned with shaping the you that’s in the world. 

The American Heritage desk dictionary gives you the following six definitions for discipline: 

dis.ci.pline - 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, esp. training that produces moral or mental improvement. 2. Controlled behavior resulting from such training. 3. A state of order that is based on submission to rules and authority. 4. Punishment intended to correct or train. 5. A set of rules or methods.

This blog advocates for a discipline that encompasses the very best of these ideas and not as a dry, dusty idea your dad or coach tried to force on you. 

Discipline is the voice in your head telling you to get out of bed, to do things you’d rather skip and to hang in there a little longer. 

It is usually the first to speak to you in the morning and always has your best in mind. 

Discipline is your best friend. It will take care of you like nothing else. 

Listen to his voice and heed his wisdom. Instead of ignoring and running from his prompts, lean in. 

For all, that discipline may be it is certainly the pathway to victory in every area of your life. 

Setting The Tone

Your alarm sounds in the early morning hours and you rouse from your slumber to turn it off. 

That’s your first action of the day—to make the incessant beeping stop. 

But what’s your next move?

Rolling back over to for a little extra rest? 

Telling yourself, “Just ten more minutes?” 

Or do you spring to action? 

Do you climb out of bed and start your day? 

Truth be told, there’s nothing inherently wrong with sleeping in. 

No one is going to look down on you because you choose to get up at the last possible moment before having to leave for work. 

So why do it? 

If sleeping in isn’t wrong, why give up the extra sleep?

You give up the comfort and warmth of your bed because among other things it sets the tone for your day. 

How you respond to that first test sets you on a path. A path towards strength, action, and victory. Or a path towards timidity, reaction, and weakness. 

There are two paths and the one you choose determines a great deal. 

Gimmicks and Tricks Don't Work

Don't buy into hype or fads. 

Gimmicks and tricks don't work over the long-term.

Instead invest considerably in things like consistency, hard work and discipline. 

They're not flashy and they don't come with a PR department or a marketing budget. 

But just like any solid investment, they payoff down the road. 

You might feel like you're losing today. You might even think you're falling behind. 

That's ok. 

Keep the long-term view.

Keep grinding it out. 

One day you'll be glad you did.