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Don't Fear the "D" Word

BY: Jim Rohrbach

"I will form good habits and become their slaves."

— Og Mandino, from his book The Greatest Salesman in the World

I got what I consider to be a high compliment from a friend of mine who told me I was very disciplined. And I guess it fits — over the years I've come to the conclusion that the old saying is true: Either I pay the price of discipline or the price of regret. This was not a sudden revelation — it occurred over time. And it wasn't always the case — in the past I was a pretty "normal" guy who just went along in life, neither excelling nor failing, just getting by. But this way of living was eating away at me — I asked myself, "Why is it that a lot of people are way ahead of me in life when I am at least as smart and talented as they are?" And it dawned on me that these people had decided where they wanted to go in life, and then developed the discipline to get there, whereas I had not decided where I wanted to go, which led me to where I was at the time ... NOWHERE.

So here are some of the areas I'm disciplined about —

Morning ritual
I haven't missed a day in years of starting early every morning with the following:

Mission Statement
I begin with a recitation of my statement of purpose, including my goals and their deadlines. This reminds me of who I am and what I'm all about. Trust me — without my Mission Statement, I'd still be nowhere today.

Affirmations
I then recite several custom affirmations to maintain my positive mental attitude. One example — "I am the best, I am worthy and deserving of the best, and I am getting even better every day in every way, especially in the coaching business!" Another — "I am completely happy, healthy, wealthy and wise, and I am KNOWN for my great ideas that help people!" If I don't reinforce my belief in myself, how can I expect others to believe in me?

Statements of Gratitude and Blessing
Then I make a point to thank God for all of my blessings, as I bless others and ask that those who are suffering receive healing. I'm not attached to any particular religious tradition here — this is simply my way of expressing Faith. As Lou Reed sings, "You need a 'Busload of Faith' to get by!" Amen.

Meditation/Visualization
Finally, I take 5 - 10 minutes to silently picture the outcomes I want as if they've already happened. Nuthin' mystical about this, just good solid use of what I consider one of our greatest gifts — the creative imagination.

Fitness
I break this down into three areas:

Exercise
Unlike some people, regular exercise is no problem for me — my best subject in school by far was recess! I get to the gym five to six times a week and go at it for at least 30 minutes, always a revitalizing experience.

Diet
I generally maintain a healthy diet, mostly vegetarian. But I'm definitely no monk — I allow myself to enjoy occasional forays into deep dish pizza, a hot dog at the ball game, a pint of Häagen-Dazs, and a margarita or two. (Life would be too dull without these major food groups ...)

Rest
I'm like a baby — if I don't get enough sleep, I get cranky. So on "school nights" I'm often in bed by 10 pm, 'cause I want to be fresh for my 5 am morning ritual. I'm also a world-class napper — I like to doze off for 20 to 40 minutes, especially on the weekends.

Goals
I didn't even know how to set goals for the first half of my life — pretty ironic that I now teach the subject. By writing my goals down and reviewing them regularly I've been able to take control of my own personal destiny, and that's led to career success, increasing financial security, robust health, and overall happiness — not a bad program, eh?

Ongoing learning
I really didn't like school, hated being told what to study — I guess that explains my 1.74 GPA upon graduating from high school. (Maybe I just wanted others to feel good about being above me ...) It was Brian Tracy who got me to pick up the habit of reading — he claimed that if you want to get into the top 10 percent of your field, read an hour a day. When I first heard this, I thought, "There is NO WAY I'm gonna read that much!" Now I read 40 books a year — I see it as part of my job.

Play
Finally, I'm disciplined about having fun. I play hoops, swim, ride a bike, cook dinners, strum my guitar (don't ask me to sing ...), read, and, of course, cheer the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls on to victory (sometimes, anyhow ...). Without having fun, what's the point?

I guess it boils down to not fearing the "D" word — I mistakenly thought that being disciplined would mean I would have to force myself to do things I hated to do, rather than enjoying them. And that came from a fear of the "C" word — Commitment. At some point it dawned on me that I was afraid to commit because I thought that if I made a commitment, I'd be trapped. What I came to realize is that I was trapped by my lack of commitment — once I got clear on what I wanted, and decided to do what it takes to get it, I was free.

That clarity also allowed me the assertiveness to say NO to anything that didn't fit with my purpose and say YES to everything that did. This turned "Discipline" into a couple of other "D" words: Determination and Dedication — qualities that I needed to be a winner in the game of life. Having lived on both sides of the fence, there's NO WAY I'd go back. Make sense?

Success Skills Coach Jim Rohrbach, "The Personal Fitness Trainer for Your Business," coaches business owners, entrepreneurs and sales, professionals on growing their clientele. He has helped hundreds of individuals to achieve their goals since he developed his first coaching program in 1982. You can visit Jim on the Web at www.SuccessSkills.com.

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