A Tad of Discipline and a Chunk of Habits, Please
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I’d like to think I have strong discipline, but, rather, I think I have old habits deeply embedded in my hide like wrinkles, pockmarks and playground scars. Whatever, they appear to do the job: tuna and water - exercise, sets and reps - sleep tight, wakey-wakey (lots of luck) - Bomber Blend (yum).
Discipline by any other name works.
I go nowhere good without it. It's tough, it's austere and I treasure it as if it were a loving family member. That is, I welcome discipline always and I long for it when it's not present. It has the dimension and life we give it and it resides within. Discipline is not mean and self-centered, or at least no meaner and self-centered than its host. Rarely do people perceive of this vital ingredient without a nagging discomfort as if it were an alien force that is troublesome, a nuisance between us and happiness, a punishment in pursuit of freedom and success. To the contrary, discipline -- self-regulation, practiced habit - is a clever choice that appears beside us as a companion to share the load with calm energy and enabling might.
Are you heading somewhere, going someplace other than the general direction of the far side of your nose? Don't expect to get there too soon, or at all, without the Big D. You may complete half the journey by chance, but it'll be a lopsided, forgettable mess. Wouldn't be surprised if you lost your way, forgot where you were going and complained the whole time doing it. You looking for bigger, stronger, faster? They're just beyond the curve, so I'm told. You and your rugged mate can't miss them. They look forward to your arrival.
Development of your muscular mass, shape and strength are directly proportionate to the development of your discipline. Or, as it has been observed by the Bomber Research Clinic, as one powerful feature develops, so does the other. Amazing co-adaptation.
Doctor, he's rambling incoherently… again...
Good news, Nurse, he's stabilizing...
As a lifter of weights and other heavy objects, I tend to playfully exaggerate to impress a point. I speak of 'information' as if it were a virus that could infect the whole body. Indeed, there are vaults of thought that, like water, are essential to life and its improvement. Too much, however, can drown us or at least leave us soaking wet.
Let me outline a fascinating basic that will irrigate our minds and float clear thinking to the surface. We are all different. Duh. How many miss this foremost point and insist that their way is the only way? They, too, exaggerate, less playfully I might add. Each of us is a separate world unto itself, with differing genes, historical and environmental influences, physical structure, internal chemistry, mentality, economy and goals. All these variables and more largely determine who we are, where we are going and how we will attempt to get there, in our training and in other pursuits in our life. It is a fabric of one piece, tightly woven in some corners and loose as a net in others. Take heart. We are to a greater or lesser extent capable in affecting the shape and the weave of the developing goods: the strong, healthfully muscled, high-performance body.
I suggest too many of us look too long and too hard for the way to go and do too little traveling during the journey. Trust your footing, ignore the path and apply your discipline to the steps along the way. You know where you're going; you just haven't gotten there yet. Train hard and eat right, smile and pay your dues.
Onward… Dave Dazzle
PS -- Try this neat trick, kids: Close your eyes and relax… you’re going into a deep sleep… convincingly repeat the words ‘be strong, buy bomber blend’ over and over again… okay, open your eyes and have a great day.
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