Drag Illustrated Issue 114, October 2016 | Page 61

D.I. COLUMNIST The Real Deal H with Tommy D'Aprile ave you ever seen a child not get what they want in a store and then proceed to throw a temper tantrum? The parent, meanwhile, says no, but the child remains yelling and screaming without a sign of giving up. I can tell you one thing for sure; without discipline that child will continue to act in the same manner. My dad tells me I did that one time, too—and one time only. The reason was that after acting like that I was disciplined in a way that made me not want to do it again. Ask a child what discipline is about and he or she will most likely answer it involves getting in trouble. But the real reason we need to discipline our children is so they will learn how to self-discipline when they get older. This simple truth can change a child’s life forever—and for the better. Now, let’s turn our attention to adults. No one likes discipline when it happens, but one thing I know for sure is the pain of discipline is short lived compared to the pain of disobedience, which can last a lifetime. I was reminded of this while speaking with a lady recently who was trying to lose weight. However, she admitted to repeatedly stopping at a doughnut shop to get her favorite treat. So she promised to have more discipline and told herself she would not stop there unless the first spot in the busy parking lot was open. The next day she showed up with doughnuts again and when I asked about the parking situation her response was that after circling the parking lot for 45 minutes the first spot finally opened up for her! Although a joke this is what many people do when it comes to making lifestyle changes. Instead of being disciplined they twist and turn the circumstances to fit their preference. I know people who have been wanting to get in shape for 20 years, but even after two full decades they’re still not disciplined enough to make the necessary changes. All the while these same people are battling illness having to do with being overweight. This is a common story in the area of discipline—or should I say, lack of. Our country is one of the most obese in the world and it’s not getting any better. We like to blame fast food, junk food and the like for this problem, but the truth is the problem lies in people who choose to eat a certain way and who are not disciplined enough to change their lifestyles. You can work out all you want, but without eating better your body will struggle to lose weight or get into better shape. It’s true: you are what you eat. How about racing? Good racers are disciplined in what they do. They work on their cars day and night, trying to do the right things in order to get ready for the next race. Without such discipline, many race programs would be a lot less successful. Now apply that to your life. A life led by discipline will yield positive results, whereas a life led only by urges and desires typically leads to stress and unwanted circumstances. We live in a society dominated by feelings, but the truth is that feelings lie. If you don’t have discipline in your actions, attitudes and behaviors you will surely reap the consequences. How many of you can think of a time in your life when you wish you were more disciplined? I’m sure everyone can. So why do people keep repeating the same mistakes and expect different outcomes? The truth lies in our decisions. We decide ahead of time not to practice discipline. Whether in our jobs, relationships, attitudes, behaviors or whatever other areas of our lives, without discipline we will always struggle. But remember, you are not the mistakes you’ve made. You really can get up and just shake things off. You can start anew every day if you are disciplined enough to do so. So many people ask me how to do this and the answer I always give is pretty simple: it’s a choice. You see, the choices we make every day will either make you or break you. I’ve done a lot of breaking in the past and now I choose a different path. I am disciplined each and every day to choose the right actions, attitudes and behaviors. It’s not always easy, but the results of being disciplined are much better than the results of choosing not to be. It really can change your life forever. But as always, the choice is yours to make. Tommy D’Aprile [email protected] October 2016 KINSLER A HOND ® NEW REL 4 BAR Excellent Durability Monster MeshTM Filters Huge amounts of We Do premium quality filter media for minimum It All pressure drop. T BILLE S.S. Filter Mount Precisely Repeatable High Speed Bypass ifo an M e Mad ! 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