The WHY Behind the Work

“If you fulfill your obligations every day, you don’t need to worry about the future.”  - Jordan Peterson

“Discipline equals Freedom.”   -Jocko Willink

Benson is six years old and what my in-laws would call a “typical boy.”  I would call him a particularly typical boy:  He is physical (good and bad), strong willed (good and bad), loves ninjas and dinosaurs (all good there), and is always analyzing and testing his environment (good and bad).  He is a velociraptor in Jurassic Park – always testing the fences.  Not to say these are gender specific behaviors (I won’t go there), but when you contrast him with my daughter (pink unicorns and princess tea parties), his boyishness is undeniable.

Since he began discovering himself and his place in this world, I have been teaching him the importance of self-discipline.  The discipline to get dressed in the morning.  The discipline to avoid television and junk food.  The discipline to give your all during jiu-jitsu. 

Jocko Willink, Navy SEAL, author and San Diego native coined the phrase, “Discipline equals Freedom.”  In fact, he wrote a book entitled Discipline Equals Freedom 

Freedom encompasses all facets of life:  Financial, Mental, Psychological, Physical.  The greater one’s discipline, the greater the freedom one attains to build life on their own terms – as opposed to being pushed and cattle-prodded by outside forces. 

Managing Senior Helpers requires a lot of discipline.  Every day, there is a sizeable task list that I must complete.  If not, I will wake the next morning with that same task list sitting on my chest – along with another sizeable task list pawing at my feet.  But the discipline to do the work, day in and out, will ultimately provide for my family freedom, in all aspects.  My hope is that Benson (and Seneca) will see that philosophy realized in my life, but more importantly, in theirs.