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Though it may sound too good to be true, I assure you there is joy in putting needed disciplines in your life. But like everything that is worthwhile, it takes some commitment and work on our part. I remind you that we must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.
I want to mention two good work habits that will go a long way toward making you successful:
Being on Time
Do you have difficulty being on time? Maybe it’s because you don’t get up early enough—which we talked about earlier. If your morning routine is rush, rush, rush because you don’t get out of bed until the last minute, then you see how lack of discipline in one area spills over to other areas of your life. And being habitually late does not show a Christ-like thoughtfulness of others and their time.
Whatever excuses you have come up with to justify always being late, if you’re willing to become disciplined, you will greatly reduce the stress in your life. We perpetuate most of our stress by our lack of discipline, and this is one of those examples of unnecessary stress caused by tardiness.
Put some reminders in place; set your phone or watch to remind you when you need to be on time. Figure out what you have to do to break this bad habit and impose that discipline on yourself. Do it for a week and see what a difference it makes. You’ll be hooked.
Keeping Promises and Commitments
This is the second good work habit that will make a difference. The Bible says: “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2).
When you make a promise or commitment, others are trusting you to keep it—right? So, you must prove faithful—not an option. In Ecclesiastes we read: “It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). Another way to put that is “Under promise and over deliver.” Promise keeping requires discipline. It takes carefully keeping a record of whatever you’ve promised to do, and then just doing it as you promised. Simple, but it takes discipline and it will give back great rewards when you do. You’ll be happy—joyful—that you were disciplined.