A couple times per week, I am going to start having two of my “sons” write blogs. My natural born son, Joshua, and my spiritual son Tad Tomaseski. Tad has been with me for almost 30 years, and has not only followed me; but he has helped to build Strike Force,  Elevate Life Church, and countless other things with me. Tad is the heart and soul of much that we do at the church, he takes the vision and makes it plain for others to see.

Tad was a former professional bodybuilder and has won multiple awards and titles in the sport. As you can see by his picture, when he talks about discipline, he know’s what he is talking about!

Here’s his blog on Self-Discipline:

Excellence is so commonly used in leadership today. But what does it really take to be a person of excellence?

In my opinion, the quality of excellence can be attributed to one character trait and that trait is self-discipline.

A lady that had taken my teachings on health and fitness, applied them had seen great results. But after having lost her excess weight and gotten into great shape, she found herself struggling to continue exercising. She told me “I just hate exercising…how can I change that?” I responded by saying “the problem isn’t the fact that you hate exercising, it’s the fact that you see it as a choice.”

Ask yourself this question “why is it, that people in the military learn such tremendous self-discipline?”

It’s because they have lived for an extended period of time doing the right thing while not being given a choice to do otherwise. So in turn, they have developed a character trait of doing the right thing and not seeing it as a choice, but rather an obedience to what they know needs to be done.

Keith Craft defines self-discipline as “Being willing to do what you don’t want to do in order to be able to do what you want to do.”

I agree completely and take that definition to another level.
“Self-discipline is the process of eliminating all choices, it is strict obedience to what you know needs to be done, to which you leave yourself no choice.”

My motto in my personal training business was “Good Intentions Won’t Change Your Dimensions.”

So you may be having good intentions to change something in your life. If I may do so, allow me to impress upon you to stop intending to do it. Choose to see it as though there is no other option and start doing it today!

In addition to that challenge, let me give you one more reason to choose self discipline…remember that it’s about way more than just yourself.

Proverbs 10:17 “He who heeds instruction and correction, not only himself is in the way of life, but also is a way of life for others, but he who neglects or refuses reproof not only himself goes astray, but also causes to err and is a path toward ruin for others.”

Be different, be a leader, be self-disciplined.

Blessings,

Tad Tomaseski