Self-Imposed Discipline: A Critical Key to the Finishing Line

Group Motto:”Pairing and Partnering for Success: The Finish Line to Greatness”

(The First Two Principles to Achieving the Finish Line to Greatness Goals and Dreams)

Part One . . .

Getting to the finishing line requires more than just the thought of attainment, of achievement, of wishful thinking and planning If we want a desired goal to become a reality, bringing it to the pinnacle of fruition in our lives, we cannot simply manifest it by carefully mapping out plans on paper; it goes far beyond that. We have not even touched the breadth and length of what it is that gets us to the finishing line. It is deeper than the superficial rivers of excitement and highly charged emotions that we temporarily feel and bask in, hoping that this is it “this time.” It’s like attending one of the hottest, most revved up, self-empowering seminars - it sets our hearts on fire during that one, two, or three day life-changing weekend event, yet, we return to our homes, to our lives, only to lose the thrill and momentum of what we captured by Monday morning. This time, I’m afraid, is like all of the other times; we begin to strive toward a goal and give up way too early, for the journey has hardly begun.

Monday morning comes and all of the words that you heard, all of the power that rose up inside you during that weekend, are all “not forgotten” but has been banished from the mind-heart source that ignited such passion and determination during those three days. Silence sets in. Everything is gradually becoming a distant memory. Turning to the fine art of visualization and affirmations, these elements are good bridges but they do not provide the consistent sustaining that is required to fulfill your dream, goals, aspirations, accomplishments. Even soul-stirring mantras will not get you to the finish line.

There is one critical element in our blueprint of life that stands above all else in getting us to the finishing lines of our goals and desires – “self-imposed discipline.” Without it, none of us can achieve the mega success that we strive for, that we dream about. As long as we allow this critical key component to be consciously ignored, the finishing line will forever allude us no matter how we try. Why? Because we try without a willingness to have self-imposed restraints. This mission of self-discipline comes only with the acceptance of accountability in our lives. If we are held accountable, we will automatically turn things around in our lives; we’ll move faster and before we know it, we will have leaped right across the finishing line. 

What will be your finishing line this year? What will it look like, from January to December? Will you still be dreaming, hoping, wishing, praying, chanting, visualizing, writing down one plan just to tear it up and toss it for another and then another?

Here’s how to break the cycle of regret, not achieving your goals set for this year. These principles apply to every area of your life. It may be that you want to lose weight, to establish a more healthier nutritional lifestyle, to gain financial freedom, to give more to others, to start a new business, to establish a foundation, to take vacations every three months, to stay home with your kids, to go back to school, or to walk away from that 9 to 5 job you dislike. Whatever it is the principles held within the art of self-imposed discipline can and will get you there only if you know how to tap into it.

Principle One: Self-imposed discipline requires continual consciousness-alertness-awareness, staying fully awoke and alive at all times, within every moment and all between the moments of the moments. That’s how you achieve the finishing line greatness. The question we need to ask ourselves is, are we willing to train long and hard in order master the mind in order to master this essential step? I can show you how. Doing so, without a doubt, leads you to the sharpness you need to conquer any snare, temptation, or sneaky attack that will try to disrupt you, weaken you, and or shake you. So the first step is to stay consciously awoke, staying in the present, using the conscious flow triggered in the mind and heart. That is the first principle of self-imposed discipline.

Principle Two: Self-imposed discipline requires putting yourself in a situation that will always demand upfront accountability. Who are you accountable to in your life other than yourself? Whom do you report to? We often fail before we truly start running the race because we are back birthing “Monday morning blues” because we feel that we can do it alone-all by ourselves, so we report to no one. We look in the mirror and that’s that. We answer to ourselves. That’s a “big-g-g-g” mistake. At this point, it is no time for isolation, being an island unto yourself and expecting to achieve “the finish line greatness.” If you want to get to the finish line in losing weight, becoming an Internet multimillionaire or billionaire, marketing at the top of the Google charts, being the best teacher, buying your dream home, going on that planned vacation of a life-time, then you need to connect your mind, heart, and body to someone else’s mind, heart, and body.Not just anyone mind you, but to someone who not only has the finish line potential, but who has already achieved the finish line greatness. You need a mentor, a coach, someone who is going to keep you honest with yourself and the goals you have set, someone who is going to keep you on the straight and narrow until you truly are able to get on the straight and narrow path to greatness. You need to align yourself with someone who has already achieved the goal you are striving towards; let that someone be your guide, your ears, your mind, your heart, to lead you down the path to your dream. This will surely bring you much success. You are now being surrounded by that someone or a group of accomplished mentors. You do not need to connect or partner with anyone who is trying to achieve the same goal or dream. You can not have that individual as your mentor or sponsor. What can they do for you? Absolutely nothing! Having someone who tracks you, checks in on you, calls you to task about any diminishing grit in your craw or any subtle waning in your tenacity, this person will immediately spot all the stumbling blocks way before you are able to recognize them. That person will help you to avoid many of the train wrecks we had last year in our lives. Get with someone who has already achieved self-imposed discipline and made it to the finishing line of greatness. That is the second principle of self-imposed discipline.

This year doesn’t have to end the same way as it did last year for us. Many of us wrote many beautiful well-thought out plans, but found them still tucked away in our journals, notebooks, or saved on our computers at the end of the year, revisiting them once more, asking ourselves the same old questions that we have asked ourselves year after year: where did I go wrong? What happened to me? How did I get so far off track? What’s wrong with me that I can’t stay on point and fulfill my dreams? As you have heard so many times, “Insanity is doing the same things, but expecting different results.” It will never change useless we are willing to apply self-imposed discipline and fight to stay awake throughout the year with a mentor by our side to help us and guide us. There are 12 months. I want you to pause and think about that – “12 months.” Can we stay consciously aware of our dream plans to make it to the finish line? Are we willing to be held accountable for our actions by deliberately seeking those who have already achieved what we want to achieve and allow them to guide us and mentor us through our dreams into a physical reality. Let us cross the finishing lines of greatness together this year.

…Stay tuned for part two of this article. There are five more steps of self-discipline that I want to share with you. I would like to hear from you about this article. Perhaps we can build a bridge to each of our dreams and mentor each other in the things we have been able to do successfully and with the finish line greatness, helping one another. Tell me your dreams for this year and let’s start a mentoring group. We can find out who has lost weight and made it to the finish line of greatness and who has that as a finish line goal for this year, who has a lucrative- thriving Internet business and wants to start a lucrative-thriving Internet business, who has a great writing career (books/poetry/ezines, etc.) and who wants to start a great writing career and etc. Our motto could be: “Pairing and Partnering for Success: The Finish Line to Greatness.”

P.S. Every word flowed straight from my heart to your heart. Not once did I have to consult any reference to write this article. I can do this type writng all day and all night. I hope it was of some value.

(c) Marion Brown, January 8, 2009

MBHeart2Heart