Alison's schedule around Holy Days is always a little tricky. Our parish generally offers sufficient Masses, but they don't offer evening Masses on Holy Days (or Sunday). That means that we can be legitimately scrambling to get to Mass. This year, her schedule meant that we needed to go to Mass on December 31st, instead of January 1st. While praying before Mass, I decided to ask for a gift for the new year. I thought about plenty of options, but settled on one that I thought would bring about all. I asked for the grace of discipline.

Discipline is something that we all love to hate. It forces us to do things that are good for us when our laziness or fear try to keep us down. It brings about tremendous benefits and, executed over time, takes you to where you want to be. Discipline is the mature version of us making a decision and not letting the immature version of ourselves call the shots.

I thought discipline was the perfect gift because it can't help but trickle down into other areas of our lives. If I'm disciplined in my daily routine, I'll be disciplined in my prayer life. If I'm disciplined in my exercise plans, I'll be disciplined in my eating habits. If I'm disciplined in my financial life, I'll be disciplined in my spending. The heart of all success is discipline.

I love the saying, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." We have today to hit our goals, to implement our plans, and to check off our to do list. We can't fix yesterday, and we can't work on tomorrow. While January 1st is a huge psychological turning point, truly your alarm clock going off is just as much of a fresh start.

I need to inject discipline back into my life because of the stability, diligence, and productivity that it brings. Laziness and idleness starve my creativity and drain my energy. The best way to fall asleep is when your body is tired and your mind is at peace because you used the day to the fullest. Work on discipline and watch it bear fruit across all areas of your life.

Tags: Manliness Virtue Wellness