Pain of Regret or Discipline

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments."
~Jim Rohn

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When determining any course of action one may experience one of two types of pain: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.

The pain of discipline is felt in the present moment.  Plain and simple, the pain of discipline is all about sacrifice.  It requires you to give up something in the present for a greater reward in the future.  The pain is experienced through sacrifice, hard work and perseverance.  You must put yourself into a position to forego immediate gratification for future benefit.  It is the focus on these benefits that allows one to endure the pain of being disciplined. 

The pain of regret takes place in the future.  Like a thief in the night, this type of pain sneaks up on you.  Because one is living in the moment, the pain is not readily apparent to them.  When someone is consumed with immediate gratification, it is difficult for them to picture their future.  To them, there really is no need to see their future; they are living their life according to the "pleasure principle."  The pain of regret will gradually build  until reality slaps them in the face.  Once they realize they’re experiencing the pain of regret it may be too late.  The pain of regret can last a lifetime.  In most circumstances, time will not be on your side.  In most cases, opportunities have presented themselves that are now gone forever.  A classic example is a person who devotes their entire life to moving up the professional/corporate ladder at the expense of spending time with their family.  They become so focused on the here and now.  They forget what is really important.  Time is not on their side.  They will not get a second chance to watch their children grow up. That opportunity is gone forever!  Eventually, this person will endure the pain of regret for the rest of their life.  You have heard it said before, “A dying man never says, I wish I would have spent more time at the office.” 

Too many of us go through life living with the pain of regret: wishing we had done something differently.  The pain of regret gets worse as we age. When we get older,  we begin to think about all the missed opportunities.  We start to wonder what we could have done, or worst yet, what we could have become.  The pain of regret will can haunt us until the day we die.  However, In some instances, it is not too late to overcome the pain of regret if an opportunity still presents itself.  You might ask, how do you overcome the pain of regret?  Simple, invoke the pain of discipline in your life!

If you asked 500 people who endured the pain of discipline if they regret it, it's not likely that one would say they regret it. If you asked 500 people who chose to avoid the pain of discipline if they regret it, I bet all, if not most, would say they now live to regret it. 

It doesn't matter if you commit to spending more time with your children, going back to school, or something like starting an exercise program; the key is that you're willing to endure the pain of discipline.  I urge you take that first step.  Embrace the pain of discipline, It is a pain that you’ll live to never regret! 

It's your life; live it, love it, & celebrate it!
MJD