Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro: 31oC, hot, sunny and with showers.
Today is a bank holiday, though I am not entirely sure why. It seems like we have a day for everything nowadays.
These are not always bank holidays when everything is closed, but some days honour specific groups, professions, or ideologies. If you can imagine it, a day is likely dedicated to it.
I am open to recognising achievements, but too much of it can diminish their value. Take the current focus on “woke culture,” for example. In primary and secondary schools, children are often given medals for participation, including for finishing last and for every position in between.
While it is nice to celebrate everyone’s efforts, this practice can devalue the prestige of coming in first and genuinely winning. It sends the message that hard work, discipline, training, and sacrifice may not be necessary, as everyone will receive a medal regardless of their effort.
Excessive amounts of anything can be harmful. Whether it is too much work, food, drinking, eating, sex, or even drugs, an overload can negatively impact your life and relationships. One significant reason my parents separated was my father’s workaholic tendencies; his job consumed him. he worked too much. Ultimately, too much of anything can lead to severe consequences for oneself and one’s family.
What is the keyword here? It is a word that I have known all my life, but only now do I truly understand its meaning and power. That word is moderation. Moderation is avoiding excess or extremes, particularly in one’s behaviour or political opinions.
What a fantastic rule for life! It is a guideline that I have unconsciously followed since my beginnings. Looking back at history, we can see that food and resources have only recently become plentiful. In the past, things were much more difficult. If you wanted to eat, you had to go out and hunt for an entire day.
In the past, to drink water, you often had to walk a long distance and risk encountering dangerous animals until you found a river. I am trying to convey that life used to be much more challenging. If you wanted something, you often had to sacrifice, work hard, or even face danger to obtain it.
Now that Pandora’s box has been opened and the lid has been thrown away, we leave home to find a multitude of offers for food, drinks, and other forms of consumption. Since we are not accustomed to this abundance in our genes, it feels like a bull in a china shop or a person experiencing withdrawal symptoms is suddenly presented with a beautiful table filled with everything they enjoy and desire.
We now live in a society where everything is plentiful and easy to obtain. Even the cheapest snack or simplest meal can be stolen for those without money. The old adage “beg, borrow, or steal” comes to mind. Everything we need is right in front of us, constantly available, making it almost impossible to escape from the overwhelming abundance of options.
I have noticed something about myself: I have a compulsive nature regarding food. I can eat a meal, but if someone puts another plate in front of me, I will eat that, too. And if they offer me yet another plate afterwards, I also find myself eating that. At least I recognise this behaviour and am trying to control it.
I am preparing to go to England, and during the day, I eat. However, when Nalva arrives home, even though I have decided not to eat her food, I often do so. This is partly due to compulsion but also because her food is tasty.
As I have mentioned, Baianos—people from Bahia—are known for their cooking and music. Unfortunately, Nalva does not know how to sing or play a musical instrument.
From now on, I will try not to eat any of Nalva’s tasty food at night. This is a decision I have made consciously as I prepare to go to England. Therefore, the last word for today is discipline. Discipline is essential, regardless of who you are, what you do, or how skilled you are. Without discipline, you lack everything, especially a future.
Everyone must walk the path of discipline to reap its rewards. However, only some choose to embrace properly practised discipline because of the necessary sacrifices.
Many people opt not to make these sacrifices, but the reality is that we inevitably sacrifice ourselves in one way or another, whether for better or worse. The key difference is that when sacrifice is accompanied by discipline, it often leads to rewards, whereas sacrifice without discipline usually yields very little in return.
I have a friend who is the son of an ex-girlfriend of mine. He works as an Uber driver. He is an intelligent, kind, and good person. I have nothing against his choice to drive; for him, it provides a sense of freedom to do whatever he wants at any time of day or night.
However, he prefers not to study or invest in his future. Over the years, he has been earning money as a driver to pay his bills but has not put anything aside or made a sacrifice and invested in himself for his long-term future or his family.
When I look ahead ten years or so, I see that driving for Uber or being a taxi driver has become more commonplace and less prestigious than it used to be. He may find himself struggling in a job market where his friends, who once saw opportunities to invest in themselves, are now enjoying the rewards of better jobs, higher salaries, and financial independence. Meanwhile, he remains in the same situation he was in a decade ago.
We often discuss motivation, but discipline is, in many ways, much more important. Motivation can fade unexpectedly, leading to giving up and a lack of drive. In contrast, discipline means understanding your responsibilities and doing what needs to be done, even if you do not feel like it. That is what discipline is all about; the rewards will come due to your consistent efforts.
It was a slow day, and it had been raining continuously for the past couple of days. It did not seem like the rain would stop anytime soon. Despite the weather, I focused on studying, working on posts, discipline, exercising, and moderation. It was a productive day and a powerful combination of activities.
In bed by 11.30 pm.
Thank you.
Thanks for reading this blog post. Please explore my other posts and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Richard
