Discipline is a Quiet Steady Force

All right. So, today, this week, we had the Marine Corps birthday on Monday. Yesterday was JT’s 12th birthday and Veterans Day. So, here we are almost halfway through the month of November. And so, I want to give a shout-out to all the United States Marines who were 250 years old. I do not look bad for 250, to be honest.

And JT, my little man, is 12 years old. So proud of that little guy. He is smart, he is articulate, he is funny. He makes people laugh, he makes people feel important, he helps his teachers. Such a great little guy. I am proud of my son. Now, with that, I want to give you a couple of little tidbits of some information.

I wrote this quote some time ago for one of the things I was writing, and it says, “Motivation fades, inspiration passes.” But discipline is a quiet, steady force that builds lasting change. Discipline is a quiet, steady force that builds lasting change.

If you apply discipline to any area of your life, I remember years and years ago, I used to come home, and I would just put a little bit of change. If I had change in my pocket, I would just stick it in a jar. I would just fill up a jar.

And about twice a year, I would take all the change. Once the jar got too full, I would take it down to the bank, and I would turn it into dollars. And you would be surprised. It is over 100 bucks. Sometimes $120, $130, $150. So, I would make $300 a year by just emptying my pockets every time I came home.

A steady little discipline of just a little bit of change. I could take Karen out to eat five, six, seven times because, well, years ago, it used to not cost 150 bucks for two people to go out to eat. Maybe today, 150 bucks, you are going to get a really nice meal, or maybe two really nice meals. Or you can go get four or five pizzas at Costco.

All right, so there we go. But the end result is that quiet, steady discipline over time of just putting a little bit of change, you end up making quite a bit of money at another point in life. If you apply that same principle to losing weight, to reading a book and getting smarter, to taking a class, it does not matter what it is that you are trying to accomplish in your life.

Steady, quiet discipline is going to make the mark and get you to the place that you want to go. If you are trying to save, pay off bills, pay off debt, steady, quiet discipline of buckling down, following a budget, it is going to get you there every single time.

Motivation is not worth much. Inspiration just passes you by. You can be inspired for a minute. But it is not going to help you on the really cold mornings, the tired days, the long days. You are not going to be too inspired in those moments.

You are going to have to have that quiet discipline. That steady focus. You are going to need those things. That is what is going to get you there. That in itself is the lasting change, if that makes sense.

So, as you go through the rest of this week, think about it. And if you see JT, remember to tell him, “Hey, happy birthday, little man. Your dad thinks an awful lot of you.”

All right, we are getting ready. We are just a few weeks away. If you have not gotten your white elephant gift, you better get over to Amazon, or you better get to the store and get yourself the best white elephant gift.

JT and David have already been searching, looking for their best white elephant gift. They are excited about this. They get excited; they are easily excited, probably because their dad is pretty excited. I have a lot of fun with white elephant gifts.

Looking forward to seeing you, your family, having some good food, and spending some great time together. All right, God bless you guys.

Have an awesome, amazing, and absolutely powerfully wonderful rest of your week. Talk to you guys next week. All right, take it easy. Bye. See you.