Monday, October 1, 2012

Weekly Wisdom


“Discipline is remembering what you want.” - David Campbell

                Discipline is something that I have really struggled with this past week, so I found it fitting to post David Campbell’s quote. We are all disciplined about something—some in more things than others. I, for instance am disciplined about going to bed before 11:00 every night and waking up before 7:30 every morning. Being disciplined in this way makes my life more balanced and less stressful. Other ways of being disciplined include how much time you dedicate to practice (this can be homework, sports, music, etc.), brushing your teeth every night, or it could even be keeping in contact with friend who moved away.

                There are two things you should have noticed with all the things mentioned above. For one they all involve some form of time. My sleep schedule is the same time every day. Practice involves the time you dedicate to it or could even be when you dedicate your time to it. Brushing your teeth happens every day.  Keeping in contact with a friend involved taking the time and effort to actually contact them. This captures the essence of the word discipline. At dictionary.com the words systematic and method is used in the definition. This shows that there is a schedule, which usually involves time. Making the time a habit is what makes you dedicated.

                The other thing I hope you noticed was that each of the disciplined actions is for an outcome. I am disciplined about my sleeping schedule so I am not as stressed-out the next day. The time you spend practicing is so you can succeed in terms of the grade you get, winning the game, or mastering a piece. You would brush your teeth every night so you don’t get a cavity. This is another essential key to being dedicated and what this quote refers to. You have to have the goal in mind in order to carry out your dedication. I am not going to be disciplined about my sleep schedule every night if I have no desire to lower my stress levels, and in the same way one is not going to want to practice if they have no desire to succeed. You must know why you are dedicated.

                As I mentioned earlier, I struggled with dedication this week. Up to this last week I was dedicated with reading the material for my classes. Last week however, I failed to read even one word. The reading wasn’t mandatory, but it has always better helped me understand the lectures. I had a lack of vision for the outcome. That being said, I have a challenge for you this week. Think of something that you want to accomplish that has been a struggle in the past and find a way to dedicate time to it. It doesn’t have to be big, but see if you can do it. If you can, maybe you will realize that you can more easily become dedicated to any larger goals in life.

-Margaret Gruhler

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