Be Disciplined in Small Things.

Your future life is governed by a series of choices which you make. Little choices. Hourly, daily, weekly choices.

Most people always choose the “candy now” option. This route leads to failure, I promise you that. Every little choice they make is an “instant gratification” choice - to watch another hour of TV, to sleep late again, to go down the pub again, to have some entertainment, to lie in at the weekend, to buy some more goodies, to book a holiday they can't afford, and so on.

Life, you know, is incredibly short. Those of you over forty will know this already; those between 30 and 40 will be glimpsing the truth of this, and those under 30 probably still think they are immortal. I certainly did!

But, you know, the rewards of life come to the doers, not the talkers. This is so true. You receive riches from life in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put in. True again.

There is no “miracle” short cut to wealth - basically, it's about getting off one's backside and actually fighting, daring and winning against the system.

That's really it.

It's a fight now, just as it was a hundred years ago, or a thousand years ago, for that matter. The rules have changed, but the game remains the same.

You need a better life and more money? Here's an important key to wealth:

Life doesn't respond to needs, wishes or desires. It laughs straight back in your face. Only your disciplined effort right now will plant the seeds of future crop which will meet your needs.

To complain that your needs should be filled right now is effectively to say: “I have needs. Someone else should work and slave so that my needs might be provided for.”

What would the soil say to your statement “I need some corn”? Why, the answer would be “Bring me your seed and your sweat!” The soil would not care a finger snap for your needs. Who cares about your needs? Nobody. Furthermore the seed alone is not enough, is it? You must also plant, tend, water and hoe it.

These activities can be summed-up by the phrase “disciplined effort.” Effort means the sweat of your brow; discipline means meticulously and regularly applied. A little each day. Gradually. This is how the rewards build up over the years. Not in a rush. You don't hoe, weed and water all in one day and expect a bumper crop the next. No, it doesn't work like this. You hoe a little one day, weed the next, water when it's dry, then go right back to hoeing.

Sound like hard work?

Welcome to the real world.