Developing Self-Discipline And Moderation
What is self-discipline exactly, and why is it important? I
think many people in our modern society struggle with
self-control (I know I do). There are so many temptations
staring us in the face each day. Advertising is purposely geared
to appeal to our emotional desires of wanting to be attractive,
admired, successful and content. We are always on the search for
the next best thing that will make us feel better about
ourselves or enhance our lives in some way.
There is nothing wrong or immoral about our desires, except for
one thing: When we consistently allow the desires of the "flesh"
(i.e. physical selves) to overtake our minds and spirits, we
eventually become very weak, and it becomes harder and harder to
resist further temptation. Before we know it, we are unable to
resist even the smallest desire, and we lose control of
ourselves and our lives.
We know smoking is unhealthy. We know junk food is no good for
us. We know we should be exercising each day, and getting enough
sleep each night. We know that excessive debt is dangerous and
unnecessary. Do we apply this knowledge in our lives? For many
of us, the answer would have to be "no." Why? Because we live in
a society of instant gratification. We can't fathom having to
wait and save money for something we want to buy. Instead we
whip out the credit card and pay much more for that item once
the interest is added in. We can't imagine saying no to that
plate of cookies on our co-worker's desk. They call to us, we
find ourselves drifting powerlessly toward them and end up
eating more than we should.
Have you had experiences like this where your mind says "no" but
you seem unable to resist? I have too. So what can we do about
it?
The dictionary defines Discipline as:
1) training that develops self-control, efficiency, etc. 2)
strict control to enforce obedience 3) orderly conduct 4) a
system of rules, as for a monastic order 5) treatment that
corrects or punishes (Webster's New World Dictionary