While discipline and freedom seem like they sit on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are actually very connected.

Having the discipline in life to control the variables that cause us to stray gives us the freedom to do so much more than we might otherwise be capable of achieving.

Controlling the bad habits…. Food abuse, substance abuse, and all of the other vices allows the better aspects of life to take root and formulate behaviors that are repeated on a daily basis.

I read many of Jocko’s quotations prior to picking this one. He was a career Navy SEAL and his focus is specifically about getting out of bed at your expected time and exercising, eating right and maintaining focus. 

One of his typical quotes…. “Why do you want to get a good workout early in the morning? Well, because it sends more oxygen to your brain; it releases endorphins. It puts you in a state of mind where you can crush things, which is where you want to be.”

Sometimes doing the opposite of what we want is actually in our very best interest. It is easy to look at life through the filter of constantly rewarding ourselves for all of the stress and pressure that we are continually balancing. But the truth is, that if you maintain your focus and self control, your ability to surpass the shortcomings of failing to live by this credo is significantly increased.

We are all creatures of habit, and making the proper habits is continuous work and dedication. It took decades of my life to get some of those habits fully under control and manageable. It was in part a reaction to watching those I care about start to fall into ill health by opting for the opposite choice and it was in part from reading and learning what the choices I was making were really causing in my world.

It isn’t always fun and games… But to Jocko’s point… the discipline to behave in a manner befitting the life experience we are all granted on our time on planet Earth, is in direct correlation to the ultimate freedom we create for ourselves by passing over the easy choices and opting for those that are more focused, more demanding and more able to propel us to the future we all crave and desire.

Happy Monday!

If you like my posts, I would be so appreciative if you would share them with friends. The entire purpose of my doing this on a daily basis is to help improve my life and the lives of others around the world. Thank you!

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Written by Brian Weiner
When I was 5 years old, I discovered that the lemon tree in the backyard + dixie cups + water and sugar and I was in business. I have been hooked on that ever since. In 1979, I borrowed $14,000 to create a brand new product... photographic greeting cards with no text on the inside, called Paradise Photography. That was the start of The Illusion Factory. Since then, The Illusion Factory has been entrusted by all of the major studios and broadcasters with the advertising and marketing of over $7 billion in filmed, live, broadcast, gaming, AR, VR and regulated gaming forms of entertainment, generating more than $100 Billion in revenue and 265 awards for creativity and technology for our clients. When I took a break from film school at UCLA to move to Hawaii, my mother did not lecture me. Instead, she took 150 of her favorite aphorisms and in her beautiful calligraphy, wrote them artistically throughout a blank journal. That is the origin of the Lessons from the Mountain series. Since then, on my journeys to the top of a mountain to watch the sunrise, I have spent countless hours contemplating words of wisdom from the sages of all races, genders and political persuasions, constantly accumulating the thoughts to guide me on my life path. I hope you enjoy my books. Please let me know your thoughts, as I highly value your feedback!