The Key to Success
Success has been defined as "actively
progressing toward one's goal." So, how do you progress
toward your goal? First, you must have a goal. As motivational
speaker Zig Zigler says, "The greatest archer in the world
will have trouble hitting a target if he is blindfolded and can't
see where it is. How can you expect to reach a goal if you don't
even have one?"
Once you have a goal, you should formulate a plan to get from
where you are now to where you want to be. With that accomplished
there is just one more small task to fulfill to reach your goal;
you must take action by following your plan until the objective
is reached. This is where we get to the key ingredient that will
make all of this planning actually work. Discipline. Without
discipline you will find it very hard to reach a lofty goal.
Discipline is a word that is thrown around freely in most martial
arts circles. It is one of the selling points in the majority of
advertisements for the local schools. Many people begin studying
the arts because they crave the ability to discipline themselves
in many facets of their lives. What is this magic entity that so
many yearn for? What is it that we all want to be able to do
consistently?
I like to define discipline as simply making the right choice.
Not the easy choice, or the best tasting choice, or the choice of
habit. Discipline is simply making the choice that is in line
with your plan to reach your goal. The Random House Dictionary
definition is, "Training to act in accordance with
rules." When you set down your own rules of conduct, your
plan, you must train yourself to follow those rules. Training in
the martial arts can give you the feel for self-discipline that
you need to succeed in other endeavors.
Discipline is really the battle of mind vs. body. Dr. Paul Bragg,
the man who inspired Jack LaLanne to follow a healthy regimen and
opened the first health food stores, wrote often about this
battle.
In his book about weight reduction Dr. Bragg says: "You must
use your mental power to win over the cravings of the body. In
other words, it is mind over matter. Flesh is dumb. There is no
intelligence in flesh. You must recognize that there is a lfe
long running battle between the mind and the flesh. Flesh is weak
and must be controlled by the mind."
This conscious control by your mind is what discipline is all
about. You know what to do to lose fat. You must drop your
caloric intake through better diet while increasing your caloric
output by increasing the amount and type of exercises you
perform. Simple to say but tougher to do. You must make the right
choice every time you sit down instead of exercising.
Luckily, improving your discipline is a lot like improving your
martial art skill. The more you practice the correct way the more
it becomes ingrained in your subconscious. Unforunately, the
opposite is just as true. Each wrong decision will become just as
ingrained until if forms the all too familiar bad habit. I am
sure you have heard that practice makes perfect. You may have
heard that only perfect practice makes perfect.
Dr. Michael Colgan, a top expert on sports performance and
nutrition, has a more concise saying. He states that,
"Practice makes permanent." Whatever you practice will
become a permanent part of you. This is why it is crucial to take
control of your cravings and make an intelligent decision
regarding the important choices we make every day. Remember that
our lives are the sum total of our choices--be they good or bad.
One of the factors that hampers our ability to consistently make
the best decision is fear. There are many types of fear, but two
success killers are the fear of failure and the fear of the
unknown. Fear of failure manifests itself through negative
thinking. "What if I make this big sacrifice and nothing
comes of it. That will be a waste of time." You must get
negative thoughts out of your head. If you plan well, you will
know that success is certain as long as you follow the plan.
Don't let negative thoughts from yourself or others keep you from
the joy of accomplishing your goal.
Fear of the unknown creeps up when we start saying, "What if
it hurts to run that five-mile course. What if I can't make it
and my friends find out. What if I start lifting weights and I
injure myself. What if I start that new kickboxing class and I
find out that I'm not as good as I thought." These are the
types of ridiculous arguments that we have with ourselves when we
are afraid of trying something new. Who cares what others think?
Who says you have to start with five miles?
A few years ago I finally conjured up the discipline to begin a
running program. Guess how many miles I start with. A couple?
Three? Try four blocks. I am glad I did. I started very slow and
now I can whip out a five-mile run in under 40 minutes with no
problem. If I thought that I had to prove my manhood by starting
with a long run I would have gotten so sore that quitting would
have come easily. Don't worry about what others think of you or
your plan. Put your mind in charge and you can reach your
objective.
Styles that have a ranking system are very good for developing
discipline in attaining a goal. The student who starts as a white
belt knows that he is going to have to attend class and practice
certain things to attain the next rank. This is the all-important
plan. Reaching short-term goals will culminate in reaching the
long-term goal of the black belt. Other ways of developing
discipline can be seen as well. Just as there are many wonderful
ways of training self-defense, there are countless ways of
practicing discipline.
One method used in some Japanese and Korean systems involves
having the students sit on the floor with their eyes closed. An
instructor will walk around with a shinai, a bamboo practice
sword, and without warning strike the ground next to a student.
The body's natural reaction is to flinch, but a person with a
calm, disciplined mind can keep the body from following its
natural urges. When you spar you must resist flinching and
closing your eyes as strong blows come in. A good Thai boxer will
stand strong and firm in the face of oncoming fists, feet, knees,
and elbows. Such discipline is indeed impressive, but I guarantee
that it was cultivated through years of practice.
If you want to better your discipline do what you are doing now:
read. Get books on the subject or audio tapes. The
Neuropsychology of Self-Discipline in an excellent course. Set
your goal, form a good plan, and discipline yourself to take
action.
© 1996 &1997 Burton Richardson
Jeet Kune Do Unlimited Web Site
Return to the Burton Richardson Profile Page
Designed by Ovidiu Semenea
