If you read my column in the Jan. 13 issue you, then will now have the market on patience! Right? Right! This week I’d like to share with you some tidbits on self-control – and what that means in our lives and the ones we love.
John Maxwell, in his book, Devel-oping the Leader within You, has a chapter on self-discipline. He begins that chapter by saying, “The first victory that successful people ever achieve or win is the victory over themselves.”
The Greek root for the word self-control means “to get a hold of” or “to get a grip on.”
It literally means to get your hands on something until you’re in control of it. Proverbs 25 says, “A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken down walls.” At the time when this proverb was written, it was a well-known fact that cities were safe only because of their walls. And the writer says that the moment we lose self-control and self-discipline, we are like a city without any kind of protection…open and vulnerable.
Think about it – anything uncontrolled can harm you and your relationships. Anything. What is that for you?
H.B. London said, “What we do upon some great occasion will probably depend upon what we already are. And what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.”
Where do we start? I’d like to share with you five very “simple starters” of living a self-controlled, self-disciplined life. I think many times we take a character trait like self-control or self-discipline, and we make it much more difficult than it really is. It’s simple – really.
1. Start with yourself
“Looking back, my life seems to be one long obstacle course…with me as the chief obstacle.” Jack Paar
There was a sign on an office door that said, “If you could kick the person responsible for most of your troubles, you wouldn’t be able to sit down for weeks.” Start with yourself. The whole issue of self-control starts with self.
2. Start early
Self-discipline/self-control – Isn’t it the first lesson that ought to be learned? But usually it’s the last.
Begin early. In fact, the earlier the better. Self-discipline is one of the most important parts of a person’s character. It will give you success and help you reach the highest potential that you can possibly reach. So, I encourage you to start early. It’s never too late to start, either!
I make it a habit to ask people who are successful some questions. What are some practices you incorporate into your life that you believe contribute to your success? Here are some of the responses:
• Always be GRATEFUL
• Attitude is key – enjoy life – laugh at life
• Don’t go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink
• Make the bed every day
My grandma (who’s still alive) taught me to start saving when I was 12 years old, after tithing, of course. By the time I went to college, I had $4,000 in savings. That was a lot in the 70s – well, it was a lot to me!
Later on when it came to investing, my dad would say to me, “It’s not timing the market, son, but time in the market.” If you learn self-discipline early, it’s amazing the dividends it will pay later in life.
3. Start small
What you are going to be tomorrow, you are becoming today. It’s essential to begin developing self-discipline in a small way today in order to be disciplined in a big way tomorrow.
I think many times when we look at life we think we’ve got to do something big. Then we get paralyzed by how big it seems and don’t end up doing anything at all! No, don’t get in the trapped feeling that you can only do something big. There’s an old joke, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.”
How do you tackle the big issues in your life? Start small. Do what you can do today.
4. Start strategically
Christopher Robin, in Winnie the Pooh said, “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it’s not all mixed up.”
Look at the things that you need to get control over. We all have areas that we need to get control over – well, at least I do, and I have a feeling I’m not alone.
Decide on one thing or one area you want to work on – then begin to work in that area daily. Just a step at a time and have someone hold you accountable in that area. Begin to chart your progress. Celebrate the small steps. Just get organized and get control of certain things in your life, and then begin to do them a step at a time. Small steps will lead to bigger strides.
5. Start now
John Hancock Field says, “All worthwhile men and women have good thoughts, good ideas, and good intentions, but precious few of them ever translate those into action.”
I encourage you that the best time to get self-control of your life is today. Not tomorrow. I’m amazed at people who are always going to do something someday. Most of the time, these people have dreams, but they’re never going to accomplish them. Every one of us knows what it’s like to procrastinate with things that we need to be doing right now. Guilty! Start now.
How many of you have ever sung in the shower? Isn’t it fun to sing in the shower? Don’t you sound good in there? In the shower, we all get good ideas, don’t we? Don’t you get awesome ideas that pop in your head while taking a shower?
Here’s the difference between a person who’s successful, and one who’s unsuccessful in this area of self-discipline? It’s simple. We’ve all had good ideas. The question is, when you dry off, do you implement them or do you leave them in the shower? Start now.
Self-control is already within you. Just blossom and be the best you were created to be. You can do it…what are you waiting for?
Be empowered!
Pastor Dan
P.S. You are invited to attend The Met Church and hear the MLK Community Choir in concert, January 30 at 6:00 pm. Free Admission. More info at www.themetchurch.org.
