The Complementary Power of Passion and Self-Discipline

“No great achievement in life has ever been accomplished without PASSION AND SELF DISCIPLINE … from athletes to artists; to great inventions and revolutions.”

Passion and Self-Discipline

(Image credit: Studio Dream)

Hello again. It has been three months but feels like yesterday since our last encounter. I hope you faced down your challenges with more anticipation to win than frustration. ‘Challenges’ which we talked about in our last issue help us develop self discipline and nurses those great seeds in us that lead us down the road of a life of passion and a more defined sense of purpose.

Three and a half year old Sara, came back from school one Thursday afternoon with bruises on her knees and a cold. Sara knows Saturdays are for Chucky Cheese and Disney outings with daddy. Being sick would ruin the fun and daddy would make her stay in. I welcomed Sara home. “How are you Sara?” I asked curiously, concerned.

“I have ouchie” she replied, referring to the bruises, “and I sick.” She explained that she had fallen on the play ground and didn’t feel too good.

“I’m sorry Sara”.

Unexpectedly, the little girl snapped at me, “Don’t say sorry, don’t, don’t say sorry!”

I looked at her dad in confusion; he was as astonished as I was. Sara headed straight for the bath tub and asked dad to run her  bath. Daddy would have to first attend to the cuts, but Sara was insistent, “No daddy, no band aid, I want take bath.”

After a small ‘battle’, daddy gave in. Later during dinner that evening, Sara ate all her veggies and chicken, there was to be no coaxing and fighting today. The following morning, Sara got up early, picked out her outfit, insisted on lacing her own shoes and grabbed her backpack. Her nose running, and slightly limping she was ready for school. It was Friday.

After school that day, Sara couldn’t wait to ask with much anticipation, “Daddy we go to Chucky Cheese and Disney tomorrow right, daddy?”

Daddy was concerned, but Sara carefully assured him that she was fine as she reminded daddy of all she had accomplished the previous day …. all by herself. Little Sara was determined to prove that her ailments didn’t have to stand in the way of a fun date that weekend with daddy.

I was impressed! Sara at 3, acknowledged the hurdles, carefully figured out solutions and did not allow anyone (me included) to get in the way as she implemented her plan; she disciplined herself and remained passionate about her day out.

Passion in my common summation is a strong and most often uncontrollable emotion; an intense desire known to contradict reason and action. It can be positive or negative as in love / hate / good / bad.

Self-discipline (will power) meanwhile, is perceived as the ability to pursue that which is right or planned, despite the temptation to abandon it by controlling our feelings in order to overcome our weaknesses. It is amazing how both (passion and self-discipline) seem so opposite, yet one is hardly effective without the other.

No great achievement in life has ever been accomplished without PASSION AND SELF DISCIPLINE … from athletes to artists; to great inventions and revolutions.

The reason passion gets so much credit and seems so dominant is because it helps motivate action which in turn generates results — self-discipline plays a huge role in sustained execution. It is thus safe to conclude that passion and self discipline are two peas in a pod.

Like other emotions, passion waxes and wanes. Sometimes it’s high (highly motivated); at other times it is low. Passion has its peaks and valleys, which means basing your actions on passion alone, means leaving your results up to feelings and emotions — this in my opinion, is very dangerous. Meanwhile self-discipline allows us to take action and therefore get results regardless of what emotional state we find ourselves in.

Take a love relationship for example. As it is said, “familiarity breeds contempt”; when you have been around each other for too long and have exhausted the passion that created the bond, the emotions are what most people then use to determine the fate of the relationship … which explains why these fail. Discipline to do what is right, rather than the temptation to abandon, is what takes relationships to another level. When discipline is cultivated, a new kind of passion surfaces. However in family relationships, you love your parents or sibling regardless; the strong binding force being the fact that with or without passion, you cannot get rid of them.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will” – Vince Lombardi.

Passion is great, it is a necessary ingredient of success, but remember that it is only the icing on the cake; it needs the backing of self-discipline.

Self-discipline is quieter and often over-looked, while Passion, the ‘louder’ of the two gets more attention these days.

Your decisions are more likely to yield success when rooted in disciplined intellect rather than in emotional peaks and valleys. Go with your passion, choose an objective, create a plan and execute.

Remember to take time off … like everything else, these emotions have the tendency to burn out. Refuel, reset and keep going.

In conclusion, as we decorate our hearts with the blossoms of spring flowers, let us remember as summer approaches that we are created in the image of our Creator with an infinite mind. Let us use our imaginations to create possibilities that help us rise to higher levels in all aspects of our lives.

Thank you for reading.

(First published in DUNIA print Magazine – issue 4)

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