“If only I had more self-discipline”
When asked what qualities they would most like to have that they don’t already have, one of the most common answers given by people responding to one of our surveys was “self-discipline.” Is this true for you too? Why do so many people want to be able to discipline themselves? Before answering this question, let’s make sure we know precisely what self-discipline is. What is self-discipline? According to Wikipedia, “Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state.” And the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines the term as “the ability to make yourself [...]
“Courage” is not all it’s cracked up to be
Why do we admire certain “positive” qualities so much when they require us to be miserable? In last week’s post about how I was facing cancer without any fear whatsoever, I explained why I didn’t think that I was brave. Bravery requires experiencing fear and I wasn’t experiencing any fear. I went on to point out that you’re better off not feeling fear at all—which eliminates the need for bravery—than being brave. And I explained what you could do to eliminate all your fears. In thinking about that idea further this past week I realized that there were several other [...]
