Self-Discipline

Quality of the month for November

The dictionaries tell us that self-discipline is "the correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement" or, "the disciplining or controlling of oneself or one's desires, actions, habits, etc."

PCC's Resources Work Team suggests that "the people who practice self-discipline possess such inner control that they remain focused on their goals without becoming distracted."

To the question, What does it mean for you to be a self-disciplined person? one PCC member answered:

"It means completing tasks to the best of my ability and without distractions." Said another: "For me to be a self-disciplined person means that I remain steadfast in pursuit of my highest goals – being a loving husband, thoughtful parent, diligent worker and faithful Christian – and not let myself be swayed from those goals by other goals that though important are secondary."

Worthington high school students who testified to the importance of self-discipline in their lives showed a significant convergence about the role of athletics. What a young woman wrote was typical:

"One quality that has been essential in my life for quite a while now is self-discipline. I have been swimming for ten years and have experienced some of the most emotionally and physically challenging times in my life. I am a firm believer that hard work pays off in the end and I enjoy seeing results. The great physical demand of two practices a day has brought about a tight schedule. However, with the less amount of time, I have become a master of time management. I bring along my swimmer mentality of 'give 110% every time' to the classroom and in the many extracurricular activities in which I participate. I am proud to possess a good work ethic and I take this quality with me wherever I go."

The theme of self-discipline has received considerable attention over the years. Here are a few nuggets:

Proverbs: "He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit better than he that taketh a city."

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: "The heights great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

Helen Keller: "The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse."

Ignace Jan Paderewski: "If I do not practice one day, I know it. If I do not practice the next, the orchestra knows it. If I do not practice the third day, the whole world knows it."

Susan True: "A champion is someone who pays attention to the little things, such as conditioning, proper nutrition, and diet. They do it to be a champion, not just because somebody told them to do it. Larry Bird, for example, was the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. He was always working on some part of his game that he felt needed improving."

John W. Gardner: "Self-discipline is the free man's yoke. Not only the claims of civility but the realities of individual development call for some measure of self-discipline. Every great artistic experience is the consequence of self-discipline long and faithfully applied. So is every great athletic or intellectual performance. Discipline in that sense – schooling, a conscious adherence to standards, an effort to bring performance into line with an admired ideal – is the essence of craftsmanship."

Stephen R. Covey: "To overcome the restraining forces of appetites and passions, I resolve to exercise self-discipline and self-denial. Whenever we over-indulge physical appetites and passions, we impair our mental processes and judgments as well as our social relationships. Our bodies are ecosystems, and if our economic or physical side is off balance, all other systems are affected."

What does it mean for you to be a person who practices self-discipline? For your family to practice self-discipline? Your institution? Your community?

PARTNERS for CITIZENSHIP and CHARACTER
200 East Wilson Bridge Road
Worthington, Ohio 43085
(614) 885-6646
hrichard1006@wowway.com

Powered by Wild Apricot integrated website software for Nonprofit and Association Management: Membership Management,
Website Builder, Online Fundraising and Event Registration


	Proverbs:		"He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit better than he that taketh a city."

	Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:		"The heights great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

	Helen Keller:		"The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse."

	Ignace Jan Paderewski:		"If I do not practice one day, I know it. If I do not practice the next, the orchestra knows it. If I do not practice the third day, the whole world knows it."

	Susan True:		"A champion is someone who pays attention to the little things, such as conditioning, proper nutrition, and diet. They do it to be a champion, not just because somebody told them to do it. Larry Bird, for example, was the first one to arrive at practice and the last one to leave. He was always working on some part of his game that he felt needed improving."

	John W. Gardner:		"Self-discipline is the free man's yoke. Not only the claims of civility but the realities of individual development call for some measure of self-discipline. Every great artistic experience is the consequence of self-discipline long and faithfully applied. So is every great athletic or intellectual performance. Discipline in that sense – schooling, a conscious adherence to standards, an effort to bring performance into line with an admired ideal – is the essence of craftsmanship."

	Stephen R. Covey:		"To overcome the restraining forces of appetites and passions, I resolve to exercise self-discipline and self-denial. Whenever we over-indulge physical appetites and passions, we impair our mental processes and judgments as well as our social relationships. Our bodies are ecosystems, and if our economic or physical side is off balance, all other systems are affected."