eFax of Life from CBMC Heartland
A Weekly Inspirational Thought from Ken Korkow
A Pirate Needs Self-Discipline
A pirate walked into a bar and the bartender said, "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. What happened? You look terrible."
"What do you mean?" said the pirate, "I feel fine."
"What about the wooden leg? You didn't have that before."
"Well, we were in a battle and I got hit with a cannonball, but I'm fine now."
"Well, OK, but what about that hook? What happened to your hand?"
"We were in another battle. I boarded a ship and got into a sword fight. My hand was cut off. I got fitted with a hook. I'm fine, really."
"What about that eye patch?"
"Oh, one day we were at sea, and a flock of birds flew over. I looked up and one of them crapped in my eye."
"You're kidding," said the bartender, "You couldn't lose an eye just from bird crap."
(HOLD ON.....HERE’S THE PUNCH LINE.....)
"It was my first day with the hook."
(HOLD ON AGAIN.....BECAUSE HERE’S RICK WARREN’S APPLICATION ON SELF-DISCIPLINE.....)
High achievers usually have one obvious thing in common: - personal discipline. Successful people are willing to do things that average people are unwilling to do.
As the pastor of a church with over 20,000 attendees under my care, I've had the opportunity to know and counsel many of Orange County's most successful business leaders.
I've observed that successful people express self-discipline in six key ways:
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MASTER THEIR MOODS. They live by their commitments, not their emotions. People who do the right thing even when they don’t feel like it accomplish most of what gets done in the world! "A person without self-control is as defenseless as a city with broken down walls" (Proverbs 25:28).
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WATCH THEIR WORDS. They put their minds in gear before opening their mouths. "He who guards his lips guards his life" (Proverbs 13:3).
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE RESTRAIN THEIR REACTIONS. How much can you take before you lose your cool? " If you are sensible you will control your temper. When someone wrongs you, it is a great virtue to ignore it" (Proverbs 19:11).
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE STICK TO THEIR SCHEDULES. If you don't determine how you will spend your time you can be sure that others will decide for you! "Live life with a due sense of responsibility...make the best use of your time" (Ephesians 5:15-16).
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MANAGE THEIR MONEY. They learn to live on less than what they make and they invest the difference. The value of a budget is that it tells your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went! "The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets" (Proverbs 21:20).
SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE MAINTAIN THEIR HEALTH. That way they can accomplish more and enjoy their achievements. "Each of you should control his own body, keeping it pure and treating it with respect" (1 Thessalonians 4:4).
Where do you need to develop more self-control? The disciplines you establish today will determine your success tomorrow. But it takes more than just willpower for lasting self-control. It takes a power greater than yourself. Think about this promise from the Bible this week:
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV).
The more I accept God's control over my life, the more self-control He gives me!
Ken Korkow
CBMC Heartland, 11/13/06
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