|
SOMEONE once wrote, “Never cast an anchor in
shifting sands.” No matter how good is your anchor, it needs
something solid if it is to hold firm and prevent the boat from
drifting.
The same is true in life. We need
some solid values to anchor ourselves and prevent us from drifting
into trouble. We cannot expect to travel the road of life
unprepared. Life is a long march and, if all goes well, it can have
its rich rewards in terms of meaning, happiness and
self-fulfillment. That same road, however, is full of traps awaiting
the uninformed and the naïve. Along the way, there are countless
snares to catch those who do not have the values and principles that
serve to keep a man walking the straight and narrow path.
Many of those traps are disguised
as pleasure. The pleasurable things we eat that are harmful to our
health; the time we spend on wasteful activities; the pleasures of
sex that cause us to stray from what is right; the greed we exhibit
when we indulge in dishonesty in the hope of acquiring more material
benefits: all things that we hope will bring us more pleasure.
Nothing causes more pain than too
much pleasure. The overeaters die young. The lazy people never
succeed. The sexually addicted get themselves into all sorts of
trouble. The dishonest ones are dishonored.
Meanwhile, the honest man who has
a strong set of values and who lives by them has a peaceful life. He
is controlled and disciplined and thus avoids all kinds of problems.
His lifestyle might be seen as boring to the undisciplined and the
pleasure seekers, but he does not care. He continues on his way to
success and a life of fulfillment and meaning.
You cannot have a meaningful life
if you are not disciplined. Sooner or later the siren call of
pleasure will overwhelm you and cause you to stray from your
meaning. There is something about making it to the top of the
mountain which is nonnegotiable, and that something is discipline.
You might have all the talent and knowledge needed to succeed, but
if you do not have discipline, you will eventually fail. You might
succeed in the short term, but, unless you are disciplined, you will
eventually go down.
I have worked with many
successful people and all of them have one thing in common. They
have the ability to postpone gratification of their desires. Meaning
that they can wait for their rewards. The undisciplined cannot. He
will want them now and cannot discipline himself to put off getting
his rewards. As a result, he loses sight of his ultimate goals and
negotiates away his meaning.
If you have problems about
drugs, alcohol and behavior/attitude call my office at 820-6107 or
825-1771 or e-mail me at gvcbuenca@vasia.com or write me at P.O. Box
2099 MCPO, Makati City.
|
