Far Beyond Talent

“One phrase has guided my entire life’s story. I put it at the end of every bulletin, newsletter, and report I sent out to clients and potential investors throughout my career. No other sentence could better summarize my 99 years on this Earth so far…” — my grandfather, Jack Campana (WWII veteran, former VP of American Express, a dear mentor and friend of mine) [here is our Grateful and Full of Greatness podcast episode together]

Once aware of where we are and of who we would love to become, we must solve problems alongside people we trust to attain our aims, dreams, and overarching vision. It’s not enough to know what to do; consistent daily action affects whether we are flashes in the pan or we create lasting legacies that withstand the test of time. Put simply, discipline determines destiny.

Here are some definitions of discipline:

• To make promises with ourselves and keep them
• To take on tasks we do not like in an enthusiastic manner
• To embrace what we must do, even when we do not want to
• To complete assignments, duties, and responsibilities we have been given
• To act with focus and self-control in order to achieve a specified goal
• To learn what’s necessary for sustainable survival via knowledge, instruction, and training
• To be a disciple of Christ by embodying the fruits of the Holy Spirit

There are rules and regulations we legally ought to follow, which exist within federal and state laws. There are guidelines we ethically ought to follow, which exist within communal codes of conduct. There are standards for optimal living we morally ought to follow, which exist within the Bible. To be disciplined is not necessarily a legal requirement; nevertheless, following through on daily disciplines provides us an abundance of emotional, financial, and relational capital.

The opposite of discipline is a form of chaos. Unconstrained chaos causes anxiety due to complexity. Would anyone argue anxiousness as a coveted, well-sought-after characteristic? No, not without malice.

What about the antithesis of anxiety, confidence due to clarity, which comes from discipline toward well-specified targets? Would anyone deeply desire that? Yes, as often as possible.

Renowned and retired Navy SEAL, Jocko Willink, wrote a book and then field manual about how Discipline Equals Freedom. In a nutshell, Willink sheds light on why structure and self-control remain prerequisites for personal sovereignty. “The less you discipline yourself, the more someone else will discipline you.” Each and every one of us wants agency, the capacity to decide our own paths. Agency demands discipline. “The discipline to do what you don’t want to do makes it possible to do what you want to do.” Doing what we want to do… that’s freedom. Freedom has a cost. Discipline is its price. Will we pay it daily?

On Sunday evening, after a family dinner, I drove my grandfather home. He fielded what seemed to be my 100th question of the night, as his U.S.-Army-imprinted cane rested against his legs. Looking out the window and then turning to put his timeworn hand on my young forearm, he smiled and said, “Mark, one phrase has guided my entire life’s story. I put it at the end of every bulletin, newsletter, and report I sent out to clients and potential investors through my career. No other sentence could better summarize my 99 years on this Earth so far… The harder I work, the luckier I get. You hear me? The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get.” I moved my arm and squeezed his hand with mine. I squeezed my lips together and smiled. I peeked over at him. I looked in his eyes, which have seen over 99 years of experiences. I nodded and whispered assuredly, “Yes, Pop, I heard you. Discipline, that’s what it’s all about.”

Call to Action: consider an assignment, a chore, or a duty you have been putting off. Think about one specifically. Acknowledge it. Get it done. Once completed… relax and recharge… then take on another next task.

Moment + Moment + Moment + … = Momentum

The late, great motivational speaker, Jim Rohn, used to explain how success is merely a few simple disciplines practiced every day for years. In contrast, failure is a few errors in judgment repeated every day for years. Daily disciplines practiced every day for years equate to persistence. Errors repeated every day for years equate to indifference. A disciple with persistence creates his or her own luck.

“If you err on the side of crediting some of your success to luck rather than your own brilliance, you continue to work hard to improve. To ascribe all positive outcomes to your own genius is hubris. After all, what if some of the good luck you had covered up your inadequacies? And those inadequacies will be exposed when your luck runs out. The key is to be prepared for what you cannot control or predict, and to be strong enough to survive and take full advantage of luck and opportunities when they come. Those who see life, business, and the pursuit of accomplishment as about finding that one big hit… the one big lucky break… they fail to grasp how true greatness actually happens. No great company, no great career, no great body of work comes about by a single event, a single flip of the coin, a single hand played. Of course, persistence doesn’t guarantee success, and the best leaders understand they may need to change strategies, plans, and methods on the long path to building a great company. But they also understand and live out this simple truth: luck favors the persistent.” — Jim Collins in a masterpiece, Beyond Entrepreneurship

We fail for an endless number of reasons.

Indifference remains at the top of that list.

Persistence, its arch-enemy, predicts our long-term performance!