“Most Americans lead very busy and very undisciplined lives”
– Jim Collins, ‘Good to Great’
This quote rings true to me of people I know and oftentimes, sadly of myself.
Discipline in all areas of my life is something I have been trying to cultivate more and more. I’ve always been concerned about discipline, but for this season in my life it is one of my main focuses.
What I’ve found is that when I am more disciplined, I am happier, more content, and more focused. The areas I’ve been focusing on in this quest for greater disciple are: Spiritual, Physical (working out), Financial, and Familial (dedicating time with my family and not allowing distractions).
Thing is, that we live in a very “noisy” world. Mobile phones constantly blink and buzz, asking for our attention, for ‘just a second’. What I’ve found is, the more disciplined I am with every area of my life – giving myself boundaries and holding to them – the less time I end up running around ‘fighting fires’, and the more I am able to be fruitful in the areas where God has called me to be.
All of us are stewards of the resources we’ve been given by the Lord. May we be found to be good stewards of everything he’s given us – investing them and multiplying them for his glory and for the good of others.
I’m on a journey, seeking to be more disciplined with everything God has given me.
Thoughts?
Theology for the People 
I wish I could be more disciplined, but I’m not. That’s one of the many reasons I married my lovely wife – she is very disciplined and helps me to have more discipline in my life. Unfortunately, I’m not sure undisciplined people like myself can ever “learn” to be disciplined – I kind of think you either have that built in to you, or you don’t. In my life I have been able to maintain discipline for periods of time (sometimes long periods of time), and then the undisciplined part of me starts screaming and wants to break out.
i go through periods of life where i am very disciplined and other times i am not disciplined. i disagree that undisciplined people cannot learn to be disciplined. i think God gives us the capacity to live a discipline life, but we might have to work at it and be faithful.
I definitely know the feeling of that undisciplined part of me screaming and wanting to break out.
Particularly with my set-up, where I make my own schedule for work/ministry and school it is very easy, and I must say: very dangerous to be undisciplined. When I am disciplined, the difference is huge. I’m praying God gives me the grace to sustain a disciplined lifestyle in all of these areas. I think that’s something that not only I, but my family and church will benefit from as well.
The fact you are striving for more discipline in your life says much about your character – and that is important. Ocean is right, God gives us the capacity to live disciplined lives, but all of us do not have an equal capacity. I’m probably more like David Eckstein, the baseball player. He played shortstop for the Angels and the Cardinals. At 5’7″ and 175 pounds he had an arm that earned him the nickname “Just Enough” because he had just enough arm strength to get the ball to first base ahead of the runner – and not an ounce more. For me, I had just enough discipline to get where I have gotten in my life – including a 30 year career in the finance world – and not an ounce more. Anyway, I applaud you, Nick, for where you have gotten in your life, and for where you want to go – and I am sure the Lord has provided you with the discipline necessary to get there.
Right on. You don’t strike me as a terribly undisciplined person. I just don’t want to end up being held back by my own lack of discipline.