Well here you go, as promised this Labor Day weekend. I think Labor Day still qualifies as the weekend, while not technically so, but I cannot think of a better weekend to talk about discipline and the work required to accomplish your goals.
A few weeks ago, people around the world were mesmerized, as they sat in front of their television screens, and watched as elite athletes from across the globe competed for the ultimate prize, an Olympic medal. For most of them, those fleeting two weeks was the culmination of many years, decades even for some, of rigorous training at which they spent countless hours honing their sport, removing variables that might shave less than a tenth of a second off their time, thus giving them an ever so slight advantage over their competition, but an advantage none the less.
Like you, I was in awe of their athleticism and finely tuned cardiovascular endurance. There was something special about the way they moved with their lean physiques, all sinewy muscle and bone, unburdened by excess weight or atrophied musculature like so many of us who sat watching while they pursued their life long dream. It was something to behold and watching them got me thinking.
Youth aside, what do these young men and women have that us regular folks clearly lack?
Fast forward to this past weekend. With fall, comes the long awaited College Football season. As each team fearlessly faced their opponent, it became clearly evident that some colleges had been more successful than others in recruiting the more talented athletes. A simple fact of football is that the larger programs, in the better divisions attract the better athletes.
Though one commonality is that each team practiced uncompromisingly, in an effort to perform at their very best. Mistakes were made, as they always are. Film will be reviewed and then plays will be adjusted accordingly in training sessions of the coming weeks.
Fall also marks the upcoming Ford Ironman Triathlon World Championship held in Kona, Hawaii. Elite athletes from around the world will spend the month of September, fine-tuning their swim, bike and run, as many months of arduous training comes to a long anticipated end.
In early October, they will pit themselves against the very best the world has to offer in this grueling multi-sport. They will begin with a 2.5 mile open water swim, follow that with a 114 mile bike ride and end with a jaunty, little 26.2 mile run. Training for such an event requires tenacity of body, mind and spirit.
In order to remain competitive, they must be relentless in their training because someone is certainly coming up behind them, who is not only younger and perhaps more talented, but possibly even more disciplined. Workouts simply cannot be skipped no matter the reason.
While the elite triathlon pros are still in their twenties or early thirties, the age groupers are forty, fifty, sixty and beyond. Words cannot express how inspiring it is to watch these regular people push themselves beyond the perceived limits of human strength and endurance.
So again I ask, what do they have that the rest of us do not?
They have a burning desire & a disciplined mind—that’s what.
So, how does discipline help in goal achievement?
Being disciplined increases the likelihood that you will get up out of that warm, cozy bed and head out for that 5 mile run while so many others sleep in. Discipline compels you to pass up a night out with the girls or that family party, and choosing instead to stay home and finish that school paper or study for that next big exam.
See, for us regular folks, practiced discipline is probably more important than sheer talent.
You need look no further than the local high school or college campus to see evidence that discipline proves to be of more importance than talent and intelligence in terms of academic performance. The vast majority of “A” students are much more disciplined than brilliant. In fact, many possess only average intelligence.
What they do have, however, is a strong work ethic and a disciplined approach to their studies. Years of practiced discipline has taught them the importance of delayed gratification. These disciplined students routinely demonstrate the ability to remain focused on a goal, to do what is necessary by completing all the many, small tasks that will eventually result in their goal achievement.
As for you writers, discipline is everything.
Dean Koontz is a writers’ writer. He is admired by authors big and small. His approach to writing and stalwart work ethic is an example of the discipline required of our craft.
The book, The Complete Idiots Guide to Writing a Novel by Tom Monteleone, which by the way, is an outstanding book for all you aspiring writers out there despite its somewhat silly name, includes an interview with Dean Koontz.
In this interview, Dean Koontz, is quoted as saying, “Many talented people have no discipline whatsoever. You can be brilliant but directionless, in which case the brilliance is of little consequence. To have a worthwhile career, you have to be able to put in long hours at the keyboard.”
Dean Koontz goes on to describe his typical workday. He gets up at five thirty or six o’clock in the morning, walks his dog and is in front of his computer by seven, ready to work. He usually works through lunch, not stopping until dinner. He puts in a minimum 50-hour workweek and when he is nearing the end of a book, he can work as much as 70-80 hours a week.
I long for such a creative life. One that will allow me to make a living from my writing while affording me the freedom to exercise early each morning, then spend my day typing away at the keyboard, inspired by the capricious flurry of the muses.
It is uncertain, whether or not I have real talent. I may lack the level of writing skill required to attract the interest of prospective agents or publishers. These questions will remain unanswered until I finish my novel.
What I do know right now, is that I will never get the chance to realize my dream unless I learn to be more disciplined in all that I do. With practice, comes improvement. I know that I will get better by writing. Not only by writing, but writing on a regular basis, and that my friend, will take discipline.
For to not have talent is one thing. It is easier to accept having not been blessed with certain gifts. I mean, after all, we can’t have everything that we desire.
But to have God given talent, and then lack the necessary desire or discipline, is quite another thing all together. For there lies the risk of regret. Regret for all the things you could have done and should have done . . . if only. We must do whatever we can to avoid the “if only” regret.
When that fateful day comes, and we take our final breath, we want to be able to say, “God, I honored the many talents that you gave me, and used them up fully. I am depleted, I have nothing left to give.”
Your task: Take a moment to really think about what you want to achieve in your life. Set some realistic short term and long term goals that will move you forward to achieving your life dream. In doing so, you will have taken the first step of turning that dream into reality. Next, exercise a little, or a whole lot of discipline, to make conscious decisions on how you choose to spend your time. Do what is necessary to limit your distractions. Respectfully say no to others’ demands on your time or attention. It may mean that you will need to spend less time with social media, perhaps even choosing not to read my blog.
Hey now, let’s not go there. I don’t post all that often.
And on the subject of social media, here is a bit of advice.
Social media serves many purposes. It helps us to engage and connect with others, inside and outside of our former social circles, having eliminated past barriers of time and distance. It fulfills our human need to feel connected with others. It widens our circle of influence. Simply clicking on a link provided by another, can take you to someplace you would have never considered in the past, thus increasing your knowledge base and areas of interest. The benefits derived from networking can have a real and lasting impact in both our personal and professional lives. Social networking is simultaneously marvelous and overwhelming. At times it can be an irresistible distraction that endangers our time and productivity.
Do not let these distractions keep you from living your own life or achieving your life goals. You don’t simply want to be a spectator of life, marveling at the accomplishments of the others. Do something. Take action, instead of being content to just sit back and watch as other people do what you so desire.
For you writers: Be disciplined enough to manage your distractions, boldly safeguard the time you need to write and then work tenaciously to complete your novel.
Rita Aguilar 