For the last five years, I have devoted the month of November to ponderings different virtues that we should personally develop and try to help others develop. It is hard for me to believe that this next virtue is the second to last virtue. The virtues that I had decided to cover these last five years come from Barbara C. Unell and Jerry L. Wyckoff’s book: 20 Teachable Virtues: Practical Ways to Pass on Lessons of Virtue and Character to Your Children. Let us now go to Self-Discipline.

Self-Discipline
Self-discipline n. 1. Self-control. 2. Discipline and training of oneself, usually for improvement.

“But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;” – 1 Timothy 4:7

Cardinal Dolan points out in his book: Called to Be Holy, how Jesus is once again the perfect example of self-discipline.
We are not defined by what we do, how much we earn or produce, or what we achieve, but by who we are, and we are usually closest to God when we are weakest, emptiest, and lowest. To admit that take humility… and can drive a pragmatist nuts.
The Lord and the Church: Take your time! Wait! Prepare! Get ready! Yes, we prefer the microwave—put the food in, push the button; inn a matter of minutes, the meal is ready. The Lord and the Church prefer the crock-pot: let it brew, stew, be seasoned, mellowed, for hours, then have your meal. And the food from the crock-pot beats the stuff from a microwave any day.
Is there a better example than the Master himself? Thirty years of unrecorded preparation for three years of active ministry. No Pragmatist planned that timetable!
Self-discipline is that virtue that combines waiting until one is ready to accomplish a task with the effort to develop the skills necessary to handle the situation appropriately. Too often, people like to rush into a situation or a project only to discover that they lack the appropriate skills or tools to accomplish the task or handle the situation.

Self-discipline can also mean remaining on the right path and not wandering when temptation comes. When Jesus finally begins His public ministry He is tempted by the devil to stray from the Father’s plan. Through self-discipline Jesus rebukes Satan and sticks to the Father’s plan.

10 Steps to Develop Self-Discipline
1. Work on a Jigsaw puzzle
2. Construct a bookcase or other project
3. Follow instructions when putting something together
4. Soothe yourself when things get tough but keep going
5. Give encouragement to others as they struggle
6. Stick to a task like diet and exercise for small amounts of time (a week at a time until it becomes a habit)
7. Talk about appropriate boundaries
8. Talk about goals and what one must do to accomplish them
9. Examine a recent failure and why the failure happened. Try to learn from it.
10. Read or pray the Stations of the Cross and see how Jesus possessed the virtue of Self-discipline in order to keep going.