Discipline and Neglegence

Every couple of years the scale creeps up on me and I come to realize that it’s time to get on a diet and start exercising more.  This ends up going fine for about a six weeks. That’s when I end up having a stressful, late Friday at work and decide that we should just go out for dinner… and of course follow it up with desert.  I tell myself “you’ve worked so hard! You need a break! You can afford one cheat day!” and so I indulge for one night.  Although dinner doesn’t even put a dent in my weight loss progress, almost inevitably I let Saturday and Sunday slip as well, “let’s just call it a ‘cheat weekend’” and once I lose the weekend, I rarely ever get back on track.   

Just like my one compromise on dinner after a hard day of work, corporate marketing continually pushes us towards the ledge of negligence and entitlement.  TV and online ads constantly tell you “You deserve this”, “Only the best will do”, or “You owe it to yourself”.  They are waiting for you to have that one bad day at work, that one jealous thought of “I make more than that guy and he’s driving a…”.  Couple these moments of weakness with astonishingly easy access to credit from any retailer and your bad day just turned into a six year payment nightmare on a quickly depreciating asset. 

But you are a creator and you were born to kick consumer culture in the face!  In order to separate yourself as a creator, you must practice discipline, but it’s not just financial disciple that will get you there.  Creators must be unwilling to compromise their standards in any area of their lives.  That's why I bin discipline under the "Passionate" hallmark of a creator.  No more trash on TV means no trash on TV!  No more fast food means no more fast food! Wherever you choose draw the line, hold it!  Embracing disciple doesn’t mean you can’t have fun or let your hair down.  The consumer believes that they are entitled to a weekend away every few months and it costs them thousands of dollars... hogwash!    Go on a bike ride, visit a state park, go fishing, or have some friends over for a potluck.  All these activities cost next to nothing, and I promise they will never leave you waking up with a buyer’s remorse hangover. 

If you are feeling more negligent than disciplined right now, you are not alone.  It takes practice.  Start out with some easy, even arbitrary goals.  I've found that if I change my habits, I’ll quickly start changing my perspective.  Start with “I will put my keys on the key holder every day.”  Then move to “I will make my bed every day.” And eventually you will work up to “I will not pay for a service that that I can learn and perform myself”.  Think about what kind of employee or student you could be if you develop the behavior of consistent discipline.  

Discipline is not just the virtue of abstinence.  If you equate discipline with shear willpower or some stale dogma, you are going to be heading down the wrong road.  Think of discipline as enduring passion.  A commitment to loyalty to others, yourself, and your convictions.

The consumer is weak, negligent, and easily blown in the wind by his or her feelings, but there is nothing casual about the corporate marketing strategies that have their cross-arrows right over the consumer's wallet. 

There are tools and approaches that you can use to help keep you accountable and even make the discipline, reliability, and consistency easier.  If you are struggling with consistent savings, have your savings automatically taken out of your account as soon as your paycheck comes in so that you get taken completely out of the equation.  If you are struggling with a shopping addiction, force yourself to just use cash.  And most importantly, make it fun!  One area I always struggled with was keeping up with the house cleaning.  There was a time when I would dread the very thought of cleaning the kitchen, changing sheets, and vacuuming.  We have even hired professional cleaning services from time to time to help take the load off.  Then recently, I discovered that I really enjoy listening to my favorite bands and podcasts while I do mindless work around the house.  Now, I actually look forward to my Saturday morning jam sessions that are accompanied by cleaning and folding laundry.  There’s no better feeling than reaching lunchtime on a Saturday with the house in showroom shape and your soul pumped full of 90’s alternative.   

God gives both the consumer and the creator two hands and a few hours in the day.  The creator uses them to work unwaveringly and create value.  The consumer uses them to surf the web trying to find ways to make themselves more attractive or comfortable.  How will you use this gift?