Discipline

by Flint Wallace

I read the following quote from Justin Su’a (@justinsua) on twitter, “Every day recommit to the things that matter most. You empower yourself when your priorities are in line. If you really want it, you’ll make time for it. If you don’t make time for it, you really don’t want it. Actions reveal commitment.”  I agree wholeheartedly.

This statement reminded me of several other phrases I have heard or read from triumphant people regarding how to achieve success. Like, “Discipline equals freedom” by Jocko Willink or, “We must all suffer one of two things: The pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment” by Jim Rohn.

Most successful people are extremely disciplined at the things that matter most to them. They plan out their day around those things that they must get done. They have a plan, and they make sure they execute that plan each and every day.

Like Richie McCaw, the captain for the All Blacks Rugby Team, writes in his journal every morning, “Start Again”. That means that every day is a new day, and you have to start your plan again and execute it.

You can’t let what happened yesterday interfere or influence what you do today. You also can’t let things that come up get in the way of you executing your plan for today. Things like hanging out with your friends or girlfriend, playing video games, trolling social media, etc. Those must be things that you do around your plan, not instead of it. You must start the process over each and every day.

I know that it’s not necessarily easy to do this. I know everyone has different circumstances. But like Brian Knight from Focus 3 states, “Your circumstances are what they are. Embrace the reality of your situation. Sometimes reality is inconvenient and uncomfortable, and sometimes it is advantageous and encouraging”.

“Discipline is the difference between goals and accomplishments” ~Jim Rohn. Realize that getting started is usually the hardest part. Somedays it will be easy to do what needs to be done, but the real success comes from doing what needs to be done even when you do not feel like it. That is discipline!

The late great John Wooden said, “The most important key to achieving great success is to decide upon your goal and launch, get started, take action, move.”

So, map out your plan, let nothing get in the way of you executing your plan, and tomorrow, stay disciplined and Start Again!

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Flint Wallace is as coordinator of pitching strategies for the Colorado Rockies. He was the Director of Player Development at the Texas Baseball Ranch in Montgomery, TX. He is also the former Director of Baseball Operations at TCU and pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. For more information about the Texas Baseball Ranch visit http://www.texasbaseballranch.com/