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. 

Simple Not Easy

Reaching the top and achieving your wildest dreams is simple. 

Figure out where you want to go, what it’ll take to get there and chart a plan to make it happen. 

That’s a simple formula, but it’s not an easy one.

It requires lots and lots of hard work. 

Most of all it requires discipline. 

The discipline to:

• focus over a long period of time. 
• drill down into the details. 
• reshape and reform your every habit and routine.  

It takes doing your best at everything you do; reading, working out, laundry, loading the dishwasher, making good food choices, and listening to your spouse. 

It’s a simple road, but the hardest one you’ll ever walk. 

That’s why most people avoid it. 

Hard work and discipline aren’t what they’re looking for. Most people want a quick fix and an easy win. 

But your not most people. You have a drive and commitment to excellence that bewilders the common man. 

You get up and get after it all day because you’re chasing down excellence like a lion on the Serengeti. 

Every decision and every moment bring you closer and closer to victory. 

A victory that isn't bought, or negotiated for. But one requiring character, strength, and patience. 

A victory paid for in the small daily habits of a disciplined life.    

Have you done the reading?

Failing to do the prep work for your chosen field looks bad. It's unprofessional.  

Even more absurd is acting like you have it all together without having done the reading. 

Reading is doing the hard work of preparing to be the best. To understand those who’ve come before. To be familiar with the latest thought. It’s caring enough to put in the time and thinking things through. 

The problem is that this approach requires two things above all others: hard work and discipline. 

It’s far easier to skip out on the reading and pretend you know it all. 

It’s even worse to replace reading with sarcasm and snide remarks. 

Do you know what your reading must include? Are you aware of what’s on the list? Do you understand the ideas, arguments, and history you need to know? 

If you won’t take the time to do the reading, why expect others to take you seriously? 

Discipline does the reading and in so doing helps you take that next step forward. The step towards professionalism. The step towards being your best self. 

What You Focus On

Have you noticed that the more you focus on a problem or mistake the more you repeat it?

That’s because your focus determines your output. 

What you focus your energy on is what you’ll produce. 

In other words, your behavior follows your mindset.

If you’re focused on not doing a particular thing, chances are you’re setting the stage for it to happen again. And again. And again. 

While taking things seriously and holding the line is important, so is focusing on the right things. 

Don't waste time and energy dwelling on the negative. Focus intently on the positive instead. 

There is a positive side to every problem you encounter. Focus on it. 

It is always better to be for something positive, than against something negative. 

Discipline your mind to think in this way. Discipline it to focus in the right direction. 

Change your thinking, and you’ll change your life. But as with everything else, that’s going to require discipline. 

Why Don't We Eat What We Know We Should?

Your health and life aren’t determined by what you know, but rather by what you actually do. Knowledge is great but it’s the actions you take that matter more. No area is this more apparent than in what we eat.  

We know most of our food should come from good, whole, nutritious sources. Things like fruits, veggies, and whole grains. 

We also know that we should avoid processed meats and foods. Things like pecan wheels, Oreos, and deli meat. 

But we don’t. At least not on a large scale. 

And many of the illnesses and health issues we face are a direct result. 

“For the first time in history,” Michael Pollan said, “man has created a diet that makes him sick.” 

We know the right things to do, but fail to act. Why? 

The answer: Discipline. 

We lack the discipline to make good food choices.

We lack the strength of will to say, “No,” to the sugary lies the entice us to pick up the donut instead of the apple or hand full of almonds. 

Health, happiness, and fulfillment are often by products on the road to discipline. Take that path. You’ll be glad you did.