To be good is great. To have passion is wonderful. To want more is outstanding. All of those qualities aren’t enough… we must have something else to make them come together and stick for the long term.

We need discipline… lots and lots of discipline!

Want to lose weight, become healthier, and live a new life? What’s going to stop us from eating those chocolate chip cookies? What’s going to make us get out of bed and run those miles when we’d rather keep sleeping? How do we say no to those offering us a soda… especially our favorite soda that we used to drink by the case? The answer isn’t passion, that desperate need for change, or a specific talent we were born with. Discipline is the glue that connects our wants and needs, turning them into long term reality.

Unfortunately, discipline is underrated and rarely talked about in the same sentence as passion and talent. Those two guys are famous for creating change, yet if you ask them, they’ll tell you the truth… they’ll tell you who the real hero is. Without discipline, passion and talent can only go so far ~ will only reach a few. And the people they do reach will most likely experience their new success for a short time because they failed to reach out and introduce themselves to discipline.

What separates the good from the great? Talent plays a part, passion takes that talent to the next level, but what allows that next level to keep breathing and striving for even more? Discipline, baby! 


Think about your own life for a second and that change you’ve wanted to make. Maybe you actually did change for a short time, but eventually fell back to your “old self” and your old habits. What was the reason for the setback? Lack of passion or discipline? If the answer is passion, then discipline can’t help… and actually won’t begin to enter your life until you’ve solved the passion quiz. Can you look at yourself in the mirror and honestly say you were as discipline as you could’ve been?

This ‘D’ word isn’t magical, and isn’t difficult to find… but we must make a conscious decision to bring him into our life, and be “discipline enough” to keep him here!

I was recently watching a tennis match, where Roger Federer was on the brink of losing, but found a way to come back and win. The announcers kept talking about his ability to “thrive under pressure.” They were in awe of how good he plays when he’s under the most stress, trying to explain it to the viewers, but not quite sure what to say.

I couldn’t help but scream at the television, wishing I was in the booth breaking down Federer’s mental toughness. He does thrive under pressure, playing his best when he’s being pushed to the limit… but why? What separates him from the others? During these moments, what does he see staring back at him when he’s forced to look in the mirror?

I ask these questions, not because I want you to analyze a sporting event ~ instead, I want you to ponder your own specific challenges and pressures. You and Federer have a lot in common… you just don’t know it yet.

The more strain he feels, the better he plays… why? Because he LOVES THE PRESSURE! He embraces the difficult emotional moments, and understands that most of his competition does not. How does this relate to your life? Pressure is a part of all of us, whether we’re professional athletes, trying to create a healthier body, in the corporate world ~ whatever the specifics. How we handle the pressure is what will ultimately define us.

Learn to love the pressure we feel, rather than running away.

Pick a situation, put “love the pressure” into the sentence, and witness the different feelings you immediately have. Strength and confidence automatically become part of your core, because there isn’t fear attached to that pressure any longer ~ only passion, assurance, and determination.

Roger Federer competes better than his opponents when the match is on the line ~ when he’s walking that tight rope. He’s learned to love the situation, and builds confidence from the fact that most run away from it. You can love it too. Simply, switch your mindset.

Look at your specific challenges through different lenses from now on. Break away from the majority who dread these moments… who fear failure. Instead, invite success!

Pressure is our best friend. He forces us to concentrate and dig deep to achieve. He’s directly responsible for every goal we’ve accomplished in the past, and every goal we’ll attain in the future.

When pressure puts a mirror to your face… what do you see?

January 18th was Martin Luther King day, which in my world, is a huge deal. Where I walk, it means bigger, better, new, and more. This day symbolizes possibilities in a world that, at the time, didn’t believe in a new way of thinking. Martin Luther King recognized the need for change, but did more than just talk about what he wanted and saw for the future ~ he took action! His daily path was full of sharing, and a willingness to stand for those who couldn’t stand for themselves. He made sure they had a voice, even if (especially when) others attempted to silence his call. He was a quiet man who spoke with a loud roar. He stood courageously while the fearful threw stones of anger and ignorance. It was this ignorance and fear that fueled his passion… not to prove the nay-sayers wrong, but rather to help them see the same possibilities he dreamed of. He loved them. The more they hated him, the more love he wanted them to feel.

He did have a dream, and knew light would shine on that dream, changing the world forever. It arrived. It’s still arriving.

My words will never be worthy to be on the same page as this great man, so instead, I’ll give you his:

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.” 

When will we stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and begin taking control?

We all have control ~ control over how we think, feel, and what we choose to believe. If we improve those three aspects of our lives, the empowerment that immediately takes place will be overwhelming.  So often, we’re victims of others’ thoughts, emotions, and opinions… making us live in their world of unhappiness, disguised as our own.

When will enough be enough?

When will we stop making excuses and begin creating a course of action? This path of productivity is success all by itself, standing on it’s own two feet, waiting for us to trust. To move forward, we must trust in ourselves, our passions, our hopes, and our strength. Yep… we’re strong! Even (especially) during the weakest of moments, we possess the power to overcome those demons that laugh in our face. In order to make that strength come to life, we must first punch back ~ take control back, and realize we do own our futures. We’re not destined to live a life of “less-than.”

When will enough be enough?

When will we stop asking them to create our happiness, and begin painting our own pictures? They are not responsible for our exhilaration through this adventure! They are not responsible!! They will never be able to dictate our thoughts, emotions, and decisions… unless we give them the power. I understand this isn’t new advice, but I do believe the action needed to accomplish such high-end results isn’t being taken often enough. We don’t listen (or even ask, for that matter) to ourselves enough, which allows them to weight-in, delivering messages better suited for their wants and needs. We fall into this trap time after time.

When will we find the courage to say “Enough!”

I won’t tell you how good i am at what I do, or mention that I believe (excuse me… know) that I’m the best in my area at my speciality. I refuse to say this because I’m so damn humble!

To those of you who are looking for a New and Better, and visit CoachYourMind because you’re in need of a kick in the arse or just a simple reminder… I have a challenge for you:

Happy New Year to you and your family! I want to first give a big thank you for taking the time to visit Coach Your Mind ~ much appreciated. To those who have commented, an even bigger thank you, knowing how much time this can take, especially doing this on multiple blogs. I appreciate all feedback, as this is the only way improvement can be made. Health and happiness to you in 2010 and beyond!

Let me begin with two questions, as I believe answers can’t be found until we ask those important questions…

~Do we need money in order to be happy?

~Who believes yes/no?

Where I live, we have two complete opposite ways of living… from the many homeless sleeping under Fig trees, to the supreme wealthy who haven’t heard yet that our economy is on a downswing. By having these two extremes, I’ve heard and seen both sides of the coin, and more importantly, have experienced a little of both. My parents divorced when I was young, and fortunately (or unfortunately ~ my choice), I’ve been taught to believe the answer to the above question is both ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

Are those without money the people who preach, “money doesn’t make us happy?” Do they say this because they tried and failed to become wealthy, or have they found that true inner peace? Are they jealous of those who have brought home the green, watching them experience certain freedoms, secretly wishing those same freedoms would walk in their front door someday?

Are the families with the 6500 sq. ft. homes, 3 Mercedes and 1 useless Hummer parked in the driveway saying that without such wealth, they’d still be happy? Are they even “happy” to begin with? Would either trade places for a year or two? I believe with all of my soul that the poor, preaching the money doesn’t make us happy gospel, would trade their life in a millisecond… whereas the rich wouldn’t even consider that option, happy or not.

I completely understand that ‘true happiness’ can only begin from within… but why not have both? Am I going to teach Logan that total peace comes from your soul, but you can’t have an overflowing bank account?

Taking our morning walk and listening to Logan talk to herself (most likely trying to disprove the Theory Of Relativity), I couldn’t help but look up at those gorgeous homes and ask myself these types of questions… as it seems to have been burning a hole through my core since I was very young. “Does money make us happy? Would I be happier without it, or can I have both?” I think the reason I’ve struggled with this question stems from listening and watching the tug-o-war between both parents, as they’ve tried to prove to me why their answer was the correct one.

I guess that’s the greatest part of any question… there are many different answers.

What’s yours?