Today's thought........... ( Archived) (7)

My father taught me that only through self-discipline
can you achieve freedom.
Pour water into a cup and you can drink.
Without the cup, the water would splash over.
The cup is discipline.
--Ricardo Montalban


It is no accident that the words discipline and disciple come from the same root. To be a disciple of any path, one must be disciplined. Life works best when we learn to discipline ourselves.

Discipline liberates rather than confines you. Discipline allows you to function with ease and grace. After years of practicing his strokes, a tennis player can hit the ball without having to think about it. What once took conscious effort is now second nature.

Unfortunately, many of us had discipline forced upon us as children. Naturally, we rebelled against an externally imposed structure. We were not shown that true discipline always comes from within, and the motivation for that urge is love. When we are doing what we love, when we are pursuing something that has meaning, discipline comes naturally. As one Olympic athlete explained, "I don't mind working out every day. Because I love what I am doing, my training is not a burden but a joy."

Discipline is your ticket to freedom and path to excellence. Choose to be disciplined in all your endeavors and become the master of yourself and your life.

So true HJ. To achieve anything in life, one must be disciplined. Thanks buddy. Now where in the hell is the joke?

It is only 5:30 am here. Most of my friends were out "falling in love" last night and are not up posting their jokes this early..

Pat, you're so right with this one...and what timing, btw. Yes, I rebelled against the discipline forced on me as a child, and then as a young adult in the Army. It's what I've been most of my life...literally, a rebel without a cause.

Now, I seek control of my life and discipline because I want it...and out of love for myself, and love for a friend. As I support my best friend in her latest cancer battle, I am quitting smoking and changing my entire diet overnight rather than the gradual way I was ambling along on. I am supporting her in the changes she must make in her life by doing them with her (the smoking is only mine, though...she's never smoked cigarettes). To do this, I need to take control of my urges for food that isn't healthy, and learn to make the ones that are.

It will take discipline to overcome a lifetime of unhealthy diet choices, but I know I can do it. Some of these things I'd already begun.

I will be looking back at these words several times today.

Good morning Pat!

Q: What was the secret of Delilah getting into Samson's house?

A: She picked his locks.

Q: Why did Samson try to avoid arguing with Delilah?

A: He did'nt want to split hairs.

There you go, you are off and running.