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Leaning Toward WisdomAuthor: Randy Cantrell
Modern Tales Of An Ancient Pursuit Language: en-us Genres: Christianity, Personal Journals, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The Discipline To Improve & Be Better
Monday, 23 June, 2025
When we learn that our behavior and choices belong entirely to us and are independent of what others do, it's the road less traveled to becoming a better person. Rare are the people who have made up their minds to behave like that, likely because it demands a willingness to suffer wrong and move on to do what's right. No matter what. Self-discipline is at the heart of enduring suffering, sacrificing, exercising grace and gratitude. All hard things! Easier things are becoming bitter, harboring resentment, and embracing a victim mentality. Hatred. Retribution. Payback. Those are all easy and require no self-control. However, as is often the case, ease can be damaging over the long term. It makes us worse. It wrecks us. Refusing to put in the hard work of temperance ultimately comes at a high price over time. Discipline sometimes has no involvement with others. For instance, about 3 weeks ago, I began mainly eating carnivore. I did it solely for myself, to feel better. I also hope to drop some unwanted weight, but that was secondary. Nobody else influenced my decision. I'm not doing it for anybody else. Self-discipline helps me improve my health and overall well-being. Another area of self-discipline is spending. Since January, I've had some planned purchases to elevate my game as a content creator. Late last year, I made some purchases for items I've come to need. Much of it involves unsexing things, such as a network-attached storage (NAS) system that allows me to store large video files easily. I invested in a 4-bay device (that means I can load up four large hard drives that will work in unison). It wasn't cheap. I also invested in some software and other tools necessary for my current role as a content creator, producing three different shows, including this one. I started this journey around 1999, so it's not how I started. I wouldn't recommend spending a lot of money to start producing online content. That phone you carry around every day will do the job. I recently encouraged a friend to use his phone and a $150 wireless microphone setup, along with a cheap selfie stick tripod device. It's a great way to start and can likely serve you well for years to come. Twenty-five years ago, that was NOT the case, so through the years, I've invested a significant amount of money in this craft. Until last year, that was all audio, too. New flash: audio is way cheaper than video! :D Spending on anything can get out of control. It requires discipline to avoid spending, especially overspending. I've hit my limit - planned or otherwise. Okay, I've almost hit it. I've two items on my list that I still need to purchase, both of which are equipment-related. The most expensive of them is a computer hub so I can more efficiently connect everything to my computer instead of having three different smaller hubs. It's a device that wasn't previously available due to technological limitations. After that, I'm intentionally hitting the PAUSE button on spending because I'm going into full-blown saving mode. I'm approaching this with intention, a plan, and self-discipline, just as I do with my diet. Teddy Swims was on Q with Tom Powers, a CBC production. Here's the YouTube link. Please tell a friend about the podcast! • Join our private Facebook group • Email me
