4 Nov 2013

The 21 Indispensible Qualities of a Leader | Self-Discipline

18. Self-Discipline: The first person you lead is you



Maxwell described how Jerry Rice pushed himself to become “the best person to play wide receiver in football.” Maxwell recommended that improvement of self-discipline could be carrying out: sort out priorites, list the reasons and get rid of excuses. As a Daily Take-away, Maxwell encouraged his readers to “Plant the tree of self-discipline in your (sic) life today.”

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Webster’s definition

correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement

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My thoughts

Self-discipline could be a commodity in short supply in today’s highly-wired world. How many people can achieve self-discipline in their daily routine and not be distracted by yet another Facebook update or Tweet from their friend or favorite celebrity/ politician? Maxwell’s action points on achieveing self-discipline through: developing and following one’s priorities, making a disciplined lifestyle one’s goal, challenging one’s excuses and removing rewards until the job is done are broad but useful guidelines. And no, I do not believe that “the best time to plant a tree is twenty-five years ago”. Now is the best time to plant a tree, and water it, and make sure it grows up strong and sturdy.

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