"A life without discipline is a life without joy." ..........................Muriel B

Wait a minute. Isn't joy a matter of doing what we want? Isn't freedom the state of never having to do what we don't want to do? And isn't discipline - which we learned from our parents - the burden of having to do what we don't want to do?

Actually, joy is the freedom to do what needs to be done. And gaining that freedom takes discipline. Why? Without discipline, we usually ended up doing what is familiar to us. And our experience clearly tells us that old thinking and old behavior bring us anything but joy.

It takes discipline to say no when we need to - when ever fiber of our being may be urging us to give in again. It takes discipline to stand up and be counted when our pattern has been to fade into the wallpaper and blend in with any situation.

Discipline isn't easy or fun, but it's the best friend we can have. To practice self-discipline is to move through our days with a sure sense that we'll get where we're going.
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Today, I will remember that self-discipline is in my self-interest.

Self-discipline was indeed a very hard practice for me. Like the reading said, it took every fiber of my being NOT to give in when I wanted to drink. That's when I used the 'call list' that my group had given me. I called one of the members on the list so I could talk to them; and they in turn could help me thru my cravings and help to keep me from picking up that drink!
As time went on, I got better at self-discipline and the cravings eased. Today I find that self-discipline is used in every part of life. It CAN be a good friend.