Chapter 8
Know Thyself
Last time I spoke about discipline but I also mentioned that everyone's level
of discipline is different. Why ? Simply because everyone is a unique individual
( thank goodness ). So if you want to improve your discipline the first step
that you probably need to accomplish to learn about yourself. A more apt term is
probably to listen to yourself or face the reality of being you. Why do I say
that ? Well most people today seem to be trying to lead not only their own lives
but someone else's as well. They are so busy trying to be like this person, or
be like that person, that they forget to be themselves.
The first step on any path of self improvement is knowing where you are and more
importantly who you are. The first big reality check you need to make most
likely is to come to terms with the fact that you are good at some stuff and bad
at other stuff. Champions in any field don't practice the stuff they are good at
they work on the stuff they are bad at. Here in lies the challenge. As human
beings we naturally don't like doing stuff we stink at, but hey as I said before
if it this was easy then everyone would be doing it. The key to attaining
discipline is to determine what needs work and then keep working at it. You'll
probably be pleasantly surprised that sooner than you think it'll turn out to be
easier that you expected. I can also promise you that the more you work at it
the easier it will become.
However, keep in mind that you need to be yourself. For example, if you want to
lose weight and you are not a morning person then it doesn't make much sense to
get up at the crack of dawn and attempt to run a marathon. If you know yourself,
you will realise that this course of action is going to make it much more
difficult than say going for a brisk walk after dinner each night. The secret to
attaining what you want is to keep at it and you have a much better chance at
achieving this if you give yourself every chance and don't swim against the
current.
Here's another test I want you to take. Try brushing your teeth with your
unnatural hand. A real challenge eh ? Why ? Aren't your hands basically the same
? Aren't they connected to the same brain ? When your brain tells your limbs to
do something why doesn't it do it ? See how poor your unnatural hand has become
because you fail to use it regularly ? How many other natural assets do you have
that you aren't using to their fullest potential ? Why go looking for something
else when by improving the quality of yourself you can gain much greater
returns. Why start looking for solutions beyond yourself when you still don't
“know” yourself ?
Wanna know the best bit about “knowing” yourself ? It doesn't cost you a cent.
So spend sometime getting the know the person that you have been ignoring all
this time. Starting working with yourself instead of against yourself. If you
are both moving in the same direction then there is nothing that you can't
achieve.
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