Disciplined People Who Achieve Their Goals Live By These 7 Habits
Anyone can make a list of goals—but only a few learn how to be disciplined enough to achieve them.
I grew up in a home and a family that constantly reinforced the importance of self-discipline. Every single night, I’d watch my dad set the timer on the coffee maker and put his oatmeal in the refrigerator for the next morning. By 5:30 a.m., he’d be awake. By 6:00 a.m., he’d be in the gym. By 7:00 a.m., he’d be knocking on my bedroom door, making sure I was awake. And by 8:00 a.m., he’d be at the hospital ready to operate. My dad is a spine surgeon.
My mom, meanwhile, somehow managed to work as a voice teacher at a local college, and take my sister to her violin lessons, and take my younger brother to gymnastics practice, and take my other younger brother to chess club, all while making sure dinner was on the table by 5:00 p.m., and everyone was working on their homework or practicing their respective musical instrument by 7:00 p.m.
Our house operated like a retreat for the arts with my mother’s thumb on a stopwatch.