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SELF-DISCIPLINE,
the bad part is right now you either have or you don't…..the good part is
if you don't have it, you can get it. People aren't born with discipline, they
develop it and no matter how old you are you can always improve it. When you
are young your parents helped develop your discipline. Some learned how to
self-discipline, others run away from it, rebelling to become undisciplined.
You don't hear to much about discipline in
modern firearms weapon training. Unlike modern martial arts training which it
is stressed constantly. I think maybe it is the remoteness of the firearm that
cuts away the immediate need. Firearms are very basic distant impact tools. You
don't have to be real close to someone to impact them with a 30 caliber rifle
bullet or even a 45 caliber pistol bullet. There seems to be more people with
the thought that distance reduces the need for perfection only attained through
a strict discipline. Maybe for some that is true. I on the other hand, feel it
is a very necessary part to first attain adequate levels of skills, and then to
build and maintain those levels.
Statistics
provide an eye-opener on the distance impact however to reveal most modern day
gun fights, other than military, including citizens and police are at rather
close distances, almost hand-to-hand. This would infer that combatants may only
have time to react, rather than think. If the normal reaction time is about
7/10 of a second, it would be reasonable to suggest there is little time while
reacting to think. Most people can't "think" where their car keys are in 7/10
of a second, even when they know where they left them!
Professional Warriors traditionally have very
few luxuries and are quite accustom to existing on meager means. As civilian
citizens we on the other hand have filled our lives with luxury and
conveniences. Well, we worked for them, we earned them, why not have them. But
within each of us citizens lay a warrior, although in many, the warrior is
sleeping!
Let's look at a simple
example……this lady we will call Susan. Susan is 35 years old,
graduated from high school, went to junior college, is married with two
children. She volunteers her time at a nearby rest home, is active in her
church and attends every company event to support her husbands career. She
lives in a four bedroom home with a three car garage, pool and Jacuzzi. Her
kitchen is loaded with every modern convenience known to man. She drives a
newer SUV that's electric powered everything.
One night when Susan leaves the rest home
late she is attacked in the parking lot. She fights back and ultimately wins.
She is injured both physically and mentally, but she survives because that
"warrior" inside sleeping was awaken and put to good use. Susan, who until this
day was one of those, "oh I couldn't hurt a fly" type of ladies, realizes she
has an instinct, a will inside her she didn't know existed.
Each one of us has a "warrior" somewhere
inside us. When we wake it up and exercise it for training and protection, I
call it the "Citizen-Warrior". You don't have to be a gladiator, SWAT cop or an
Army Ranger to be a warrior. You don't have to be huge, rough and tough.
Everyone is a warrior to some small degree. There are a few citizens I know
that are warriors to a great degree. Some of them have never been a cop, never
been in the military, and never challenged in life to a lethal confrontation,
yet they are pure Citizen-Warrior both in spirit and skills.
Well I've known a lot of cops, soldiers,
sailors, Marines, air-dales, firefighters and more common folk like myself. Not
all were warriors. In fact there are only a small percentage of soldiers for
example that are warriors. Some elected and trained to become a warrior. Others
were somewhat pressed into it. Of all the different warriors I do know, there
seems to be one common trait they all share, self-discipline.
Some see discipline as being strict, but that
is not necessarily the case. We often learn discipline by following strict
rules of behavior. When young we are disciplined for taking the easy road when
the right thing to do was take the hard road. That's an old training technique.
When I was a kid, my parents had this Weeping Willow tree in the back yard.
When I ventured off the straight and narrow I had to pull a branch off that
damm tree and my dad would enlighten me on my wrong doing. I learned to behave
(discipline) by threat of terror!
Some also
relate discipline to lack of enjoyment or not having fun. That really isn't
necessarily the case either. I suppose it would depend in part on your outlook
of necessity. If you are required to discipline yourself for what ever reason
against your desire, that may be consider un-enjoyable. However if you enjoy
the results or the trip to the results, you probably will enjoy the
self-discipline required to get you there.
It
is also possible to be extremely disciplined in one part of your life, while
being completely undisciplined in other parts. I once knew a soldier-warrior
who completely lacked any discipline in garrison. He always looked like a slob
in uniform, he couldn't even dress himself properly. He laughed at everything
seeming to take even the harshest criticism as a joke, yet when it came to
cleaning his weapon or a forced march, he was all business. You couldn't find a
better buddy to hit the night life with, he was charming, fun, entertaining and
everyone that met him, especially the girls, liked him. In the trenches he was
wicket, ruthless, and the enemies worst nightmare. He never forgot any
equipment, he was always prepared, always paid attention to detail and never
blamed anyone else for any reason. He was a real fighting/party machine. He
knew how to self-discipline himself and knew how to have fun in life.
So what's the point? The point is, if you are
working on your warrior side, don't slack off on the self-discipline
training…..yes I said self-discipline training. Just like you train to
draw or shoot straight, you need to train your discipline to recognize and
develop other important skills. Then use your self-discipline to guide your
studies and training. Plan out a reasonable and accomplishable training
schedule and become disciplined enough to stick with it. Make it universal
enough to include all the weapons or types of training you desire and
continually evaluate your progress. Don't settle for second best against
yourself. Always strive for perfection even when you are smart enough to
realize there is no such thing.
Self-discipline is another one of those great
skills we develop to achieve a specific goal, such as fighting skills, to find
out it will start to rub off in other parts of our daily lives, like in the
work place and during family and social events. It is one of the skills that
make us a stronger person whether we are at work or at play. It's taking
responsibility for achievement and not taking
excuses…… |