Causes Carry, Disciplines Drop

Discipline is over-rated. It works like a high energy drink. First a rush of activity that makes you feel great. Later comes a crash as the ignored areas of life conspire to cripple your plans. Business disciplines and diets, they're the same.

A cause that's believed-in is different. The believer (in a market, mission, or business plan) takes initial enthusiasm and incorporates it into lifestyle. The important question to be asked is what small change can be made tomorrow that will permanently take me closer to the cause? There's some time before it becomes habit; but then the cause is a step closer. 

Sometimes the habit doesn't form. That exposes a fundamental issue that needs to be removed. Failure to first find and resolve that issue will kill any progress no matter how much disciple, effort, and will power is applied.

Bob Greene's Best Life Diet is a useful example. Bob's advise is to not start with a weight loss goal (a discipline approach).  His first step is to not eat 2 hours before going to sleep. That's all. Simple as that is, sometimes it cannot be done. When that happens the problem needs to be identified and resolved or no weight loss program will ever work. Resolve the problem; and the next step toward better living can be taken.

As active investors our activities are capable of producing enormous wealth and personal satisfaction. Just not all at once. Those activities need to be given over to the cause, one step at a time.