Frog man…Navy SEAL…these words conjure images of fearless warriors emerging from dark, oily seas. Hulking figures whose weapons and equipment drip with the brine of lashing tides. They accomplish the impossible and are forged into supermen by discipline.  

On their hearts is engraved this motto — “The only easy day was yesterday.” 

The SEAL motto identifies the most critical component of success — the unwavering determination to persevere regardless of any opposition. 

Whatever your goal … to lose weight, to write that novel, to get that degree … you have to put in the work, day in and day out – even, and especially, when you don’t feel like it. The motto is a recognition that achieving excellence isn’t easy and you shouldn’t expect it to be a breeze. But, understanding that is 80% of the battle.   

Life will resist and you will find yourself at war with your own sloth and the most deadly enemy of discipline — criticism from those closest to you. Successes often provoke the ugly specter of jealousy, and even those most dear can unwittingly fall victim to that vice and sabotage all the good work that discipline has done. 

But, discipline can encase you in an armor impervious to the fierce barrage of arrows loosed by the pale armies of the average and complacent.  

Santiago said in Earnest Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea, “Man is not made for defeat.” 

Claim your birthright every morning and press forward. 

Today’s Peace of Wisdom can be found in discipline.