Matthew 7:13-14 – Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it.

There is always a price tag for success and victory! Easy success is a fallacy! General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “There are no victories a bargain prices…” I have found that you always have to plug along so that you can play later.

Great leaders have self-discipline. People always choose one of two paths. Either they choose the pain of discipline, which comes from sacrifice and growth, or they choose the pain of regret, which comes from taking the easy road and missing big opportunities. Every person in life makes this choice, willingly or not!

In studying the lives of great leaders there are two areas of self-discipline that are vitally important. The first is in the area of emotions. Effective leaders recognize that their emotional reactions are their responsibility and must be controlled. The secular world calls this E.I. – Emotional Intelligence. A lack of self control in this area can kill you and your leadership!

The second area is time. Every person on the planet is given a certain allotment of time. Every person is given the same allotment of minutes in a day. However, each person’s level of self-discipline dictates how effectively those minutes are used.

Disciplined people plug at these two areas so that they can play later and enjoy the rewards of their labor. How is your E.I.? Are you in control of your emotions or do they get the best of you regularly? Do you spend your time wisely or waste it on foolish things? If you want to succeed you are going to have to walk a narrow, self-disciplined path!