"Monday 5 Things" With D. Paul Graham
.....Of Turkey, Ham, Stuffing & Pecan Pie.....
Monday 5 Things…..Of Turkey, Ham, Stuffing & Pecan Pie…..
“It’s not what you eat between Thanksgiving and Christmas that counts; what’s really important is what you eat between Christmas and Thanksgiving.” Yeah. Right. I found myself in gastronomic “pain zones” following an amazing Thanksgiving luncheon at one of my favorite restaurants with good friends, and subsequent other dinners which produced left-overs of midnight snacks of ham and pecan pie. Fellowship and sustenance – all of which I am inordinately thankful for. However, my blood sugar levels, and waistline may loudly object. With Christmas parties, meals and festivities already starting, this past weekend your five-pound-heavier scribe considered important disciplines for this morning’s M5T.
1. Discipline of Endurance.
Endurance requires patience and perseverance and rewards with building strength and stamina. It compels clear thinking and more often than not, will lead to surprising yourself at how much you are able to work through and for how long you can sustain focus. Endurance is taking a long-term view to realizing goals and dreams in a world that increasingly rewards short-term thinking and immediate results. Endurance requires an active mindset and perseverance in the face of delay, detours, defamation, and day-to-day demands of life.
2. Discipline of Delay.
Forbearance; a legal/finance term that means refraining from exercising a legal right. A good word for today. The discipline of delay is forbearing the immediacy of accepting easy, quick and temporary amusement over making choices that lead to long-term fulfillment and contentment found in achieving goals and objectives. The discipline of delay demands fortitude and focus, patience and persistence and self-control and single-mindedness.
3. Discipline of Forgiveness.
Often times, forgiveness is tough to give and sometimes even tougher to receive. The discipline of forgiveness sanctions grace and growth; repentance and restoration. The discipline of forgiveness is an understanding that we are all flawed, and we all make mistakes. Most times we are quicker to see that in others than ourselves. Forgiveness admits past hurts that need to be let go so you can be free to live in the present. Forgiveness reclaims your personal power. Forgiving others, and often times recognizing that you need to forgive yourself, gives you time to process your hurt and pain and is necessary for mental well-being, and understanding yourself on a deeper level. Forgiveness may mean having to put yourself in other shoes to truly understand why things happened and as a catalyst to leaving it in the past.
4. Discipline of Communication.
In this age of electronic immediacy, it is astounding that communication can be so poor. Never in human existence has there been the ability to share massive amounts of information quickly and yet so often the simplest of texts and emails are misunderstood, misinterpreted, or misread. The discipline of communication has never been more demanding or important than it is today. Stop the text speak, the hurried and vague emails. Choose your words carefully. Pick up the phone, meet someone in person, or (insert loud gasp here) write a note or a letter. Disciplined communication sets expectations; it provides clarity and understanding to situations and sets healthy boundaries in relationships. Disciplined communication demands that you listen, that you genuinely try to understand what the other person is saying. It allows for shared knowledge, feelings and ideas.
5. Discipline of Confidence.
The discipline of confidence is a learned discipline. True confidence will always rise above fake confidence and grandiose destructive egos. Disciplined confidence is certainty and honesty about your abilities, qualities and judgement. It is also truthfulness about your weaknesses and shortcomings. Disciplined confidence is necessary to achieve your goals, objectives and your dreams. Disciplined confidence requires self-awareness and a healthy ego. Confidence allows you to make decisions with conviction; it makes you productive and allows you to take on challenges when all around you say it can’t be done.
Here’s to a week (and coming weeks) of disciplined living (eating and otherwise) in your life!
© 2019 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.
D. Paul Graham is passionate about people, culture, photography and business. He has embraced his wanderlust with his travels around the globe and is at peace with his need for spirited drives in all things automotive.
You can find M5T each Monday here on www.southmag.com and by friending D. Paul Graham on Facebook. Paul is also a contributing photographer to South Magazine. His photographic work can be found on Instagram @dpgraham and at www.imageGRAHAM.com. Your feedback is always welcome. Email Paul at dpg@imagegraham.com
