870. The 3 Stages Of Self-Discipline.

Let's get it! I’m thrilled you’re tuning in because this episode dives deep into something we all need but often struggle with self-discipline.

Inspired by James Allen’s Book of Meditations, we’re unpacking the three stages of self-discipline that can transform your life—control, purification, and relinquishment. This isn’t just theory; it’s a roadmap to lasting success and purpose.

Here’s what you’ll get by listening today:

• How to take control of your mind, emotions, and actions to lay the foundation for success.
• The importance of purifying your life by removing toxic habits, people, and influences that hold you back.
• Why relinquishment—letting go of external validation and distractions—is the ultimate freedom.
• Practical insights you can apply TODAY to strengthen your discipline and steer your life with intention.
• A fresh perspective on how self-discipline can lead to a more powerful, purposeful, and fulfilling life.

This isn’t just another conversation about discipline—it’s about reshaping how you think, act, and approach your goals.

Are you ready to master your mind and live with purpose? Hit play, and let’s get into it.

“Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough.”

Transcript

0:00

All right. 3, 2, 1, let's get it. I want to read to you. What I read this morning from James B. Allen. Uh, his book of meditations. Uh, let me see if I can get to the cover of it here. Hopefully you can see that James Allen book of meditations. And. You know, I like to read in the mornings, I like to read Tolstoy and these are just little short snippets. And I actually read a day ahead. This was actually for. Uh, tomorrow, but it's funny how God works because sometimes it's just exactly what I need for that day. So let me read it to you. And let me stress to you too, that there are going to be times that you read something. But it's a whole different level. When you began to write it out. It's a whole different thing. Because writing the long form, not typing it, writing it. Causes you to have to form the letters that equate to the word. But I don't know, man. It's, it's hard to explain. You can only experience it, but when you start writing that and you're focused on what you're writing. It really, your mind begins to. Kind of swirl this thought around. And it begins to create a deeper meaning for you. So I would tell you, this is why I say you should write one page every day. I'm telling you it'll change your whole life because it begins to shape your perspective. So, let me read to you. And again, I just thought when I was reading this. I thought. Man that's, that's something to just put down in my journal. I keep two different. Uh, No pads with me. I keep one. That's a legal pad. That's how write for the podcast. But then there's another journal that I keep and that's the more intimate side of it. And so it's just, it's that's for me, it's not for publishing or anything like that. And so I read this passage and I said, you know what? Let me just jot this down in my journal, because I was going to go on to write something else, but something magical happens. Again, I've been doing this since 2017, just really, probably 2016. Really just writing long form. Um, so, um, a little more. Receptive now. As a, as I write these things. So let me read it to you enough about all that. So, this is what James Allen wrote Well, let me read through all the way, and then I want to come back around. And kind of chop it back up. Here's what he writes before a man can accomplish anything of enduring nature in the world. He must, first of all, acquire some measure of success in the management of his own mind. This is a mathematical truism, meaning"duh" this is a mathematical truism. That. As that two and two or four. for out of the heart or the issues of life. If a man cannot govern the forces within himself, he cannot long hold a firm hand upon the outer activities, which form of visible life. Now on the other hand, as a man succeeds in governing himself, he arises to higher and higher levels of power and usefulness and success. In the world. Hitherto which means until now. Hitherto his life has been without purpose or meaning. But now he begins to cautiously mold his own destiny. He is clothed and in his right mind with the practice of self-discipline. Uh, man begins to live. So let's unpack that and that's all fine and good. And I, but I'm telling you, like, if you want to I'll, um, I'll post this quote in the, um, In the bio of this week's episode. So that way, if you want to copy it and write it, and then I will tell you, write it long form, if you would. I think this practice will, as I said, just a second ago, I think it's going to, I think it's going to be a game changer for you. So, let me, let me chop this up because this is what I do is, is, is I write in blocks. So I get to a part. Uh, section and I stopped there and then I just kind of riff on. That section and then go to, to the next section. So the first section that I wrote down before man can accomplish anything of enduring nature, underlying that, anything of an enduring nature, meaning that this is something endurance is something for long-term right. So before a man can accomplish anything of enduring forever lifestyle. And during nature in the world. He must, first of all, acquire some measure of success in the management. Of his own mind. Success begins. In the mind. And you can sit there and, well, let me just take me. I can sit here and preach to the world. I could sit here and tell everybody how they should do things. But I will never have enduring success. If I don't first. Manage my own mind. That's the first thing you got to do. None of that other stuff even matters out there. It's all superficial. So, if you want to acquire some measure of success, enduring success. Then you have to first. Acquire. Some measure. I liked that word. Some measure. Meaning, you don't have to have it all together. You're not going to have it all together, but you must acquire some measure. Mean incrementally. Moving up. Getting better, some measure of success. In the management. Of your own mind. Next section. This is a mathematical. Truism. Truism is like, duh. Like everybody knows that. If you're going to succeed. You guys succeed in your own mind? But here's what's key. This is a mathematical truism. The mathematical part is. Any sort of success. Is should be. It's gotta be counted. Everything counts, literally everything counts. So the more that you track. And count. In every area of your life. Then you have an awareness. And you can steer. The course of your life. And if you think about all of the slips in your life, Let me just take my bankruptcy. Way back in the days. When I bankrupted, I stopped counting. I didn't have an awareness. So I was letting my emotions. Just kind of go with the flow. And anything, if you lack the numbers, if you don't know your numbers, You can't incrementally gain. You're going to let your emotions govern you and your emotions. are going to take you down every single. Time. So back to James Allen, this is a mathematical truism. Remember. A success in every area of your life is numbers. Is that two and two are four? for out of the heart or the issues. Of life. Now we hear that we've heard that forever out of the heart or the issues of life. The heart. Is the mind. Okay. The heart is the mind. So that's the, the, your mind is the governing force. It's the center of it all. So when you go back. Back to the first section. When you have management. You're not renting it out to social media. You're not renting it out. Out to. To someone you're running behind, you're not renting it out. To toxic. People you're not renting it out. To your employer. You have the management. Of your. Your own mind. So when. You're the owner and you're managing your own mind. Mind. out of the heart. Heart or the issues of life. Your management. You're governing center. All. Of your issues. are due. You too. Poor management. Or tight management. Where are you right now? And it could be. A subsection. in your life there could be. You know, things could. I'd be 80%, right. But. You had that 20%. That you gotta, you gotta get control of again. Again, some measure of control. remember. It's all incremental and that's. What it is. So out of the heart. What are the issues of life? If a man can not back. To James Allen, if. If a man, can I govern the forces within himself? He cannot long hold. This is important. a firm hand. Upon the outer activities. Which formed the visible life. So let me chop. That up. If a man cannot govern the forces within himself. You're in control. Nobody else is. If, if you cannot govern the forces within yourself. You cannot long hold. This is key. Long hold. Meaning it's a lifestyle. This is a forever mindset. So long. Long haul. Because see you can have short term success. Yes, you can have these flashes of success. You're going to give it all back. Because you haven't learned to manage. Manage your mind. And if you don't manage your mind, Sure. It's deceiving. You're going to have a little bit of success. You're going to give it all back. And then some. Because you're going to get to sure yourself. So if a man can not govern the forces. Within himself. He cannot long hold a firm. From hand. I love this. You cannot long hold lifestyle. Lifetime. I'm a firm hand now that's important. When you have a firm hand on something. You have control of it, right? When you have a firm. Firm hand on something. Something. You can steer. Steer it, you can adapt. You can adjust. And what does it take to have a firm hand? an awareness. So you can't have just. a firm hand and your eyes are closed or drift off? No, and that's what we do. We. We drift off and. So many different areas. When you have the management of your own mind. And you have committed. For the long enduring success. And you have committed. To a lifetime long hold. Lifestyle. Style and created a lifestyle for your, for your life. Then the manifestation of a visible life, that form a visible life. Those from the outside. That is going to. Too. I determine if what's manifested. So, let me, let me clean that. Up. If a man cannot govern the forces within himself. He cannot long hold. Lifestyle lifetime a. firm hand steering. Awareness. Adapt. Adjust. So if you can't do that, That then you're just going to be a paper bag in the wind, the outer forces are just going to yank. Thank you all around, but when you manage your own mind, The outer forces. You just. Adapt you steer. You adjust. And when you. You do that, it's going to equate and manifest in. The visible life. Next section. On the other hand, this is not. A very big. Section, it sounds. Like it, but. On the other hand. Hand. As a man succeeds. As in governant, let me read it all the way through. First on the other hand, as a man. Succeeds in governing himself. He rises to higher and higher levels of power and usefulness. And success. In the world. On the other hand. And as a man succeeds. As a man succeeds. It's a process. James Allen wrote as a man thinketh. That's a another lifetime book you should read. So. As a man succeeds. Meaning progression, meaning incremental. Gradual. You're not going to get there overnight. So as a man succeeds in governing himself, remember you can't govern other people, you can't govern the economy. You can just govern you your mind, what you do. When you govern your mind, And you have a firm hand. And you're committed to the long haul. And this is an enduring. Race. I don't have to be faster than the next man, bro. I just have to endure a longer. Right. That's all it is. This is an endurance race. Not a sprint. So on the other hand, As a man succeeds in governing himself. He rises to higher and higher levels of power. see as you, because you have the management of your own mind. Then you're going to get an increase in power. And usefulness. This is key. It's one thing to be powerful. But see, now that you have the management of your own mind, You become more useful to the world? And this is why you succeed. Last section. Hitherto. Meaning until now. Hitherto. His life. Your life. Has been without purpose or meaning. Up to this point. Good news is you can change it. So up to this point. Your life has been without purpose and meaning. But now. He begins to consciously. And awareness mold. His own destiny. So you up until now, you've just been a paper bag in the wind. You been just yanked all around in that tiresome. But now you have the management of your, it starts with your mind. So now. You have the management of your own mind? You can mold. Oh, my God. You can mold your own destiny. And he is clothed. Right in his mind. Clothing. Just think about you put clothes on. It's a protection. It's a warmth. It's a caring for. You clothed. And when you do that, you're right in your mind. And the ends with, with the practice of self. Self-discipline can't read that with the practice of self-discipline. Uh, man begins. To live. Whole new life, bro. Whole new life. And I'm not talking to you, man. I'm talking to me. With the practice of self self-discipline. Uh, man per game can begin to live. Now at the end. Almost. didn't even write it down. And he says the three stages of self-discipline. This is why writing is so key because when you write this in your life, The hell does that mean anyway? So we all want more. Self-discipline right. Three stages of self-discipline control, purification and relinquishment. Ah, that's why I was like, all right. So then I wrote it. Control what is control. So the three stages of self-discipline, what is control? Control. Is restraint. Control. Is management. So you can look at it restraint. Okay, maybe more so of management. So I'm going to manage what I do. I'm going to manage what I think about I'm going to manage what I, my emotions. I'm going to, so I have now control of that. That's the stages. So he stages, you've got to get 1, 2, 3. So the first stage is control. First thing is man, you got to take control of your mind. You got to have that management. And that means. You're going to have to say no to yourself. And to others. And to the outside world. No. The second stage, and then once you get control, that's the second stage purification. Purification. Means to remove contaminants. You got to remove. Toxic things out of your life, things that weaken you. Know, thyself. So the things that. are contaminants to your success. People. Vices. You got to sterilize it, man. And then when you get to the third stage, which I found was really interesting. We love your feedback on it. Relinquished means. That you. cease to keep. Our claim. To give up. And I find that interesting. Self-discipline the three stages of self-discipline control. First got to take control of your mind. You got to have that management. Purification removing now that you have control now that you remove. The contaminants in your life. And then relinquishment. It's where you just surrender. He sees the claim. Others. Materialistic things. It's not that you can't enjoy those things. It's just, you don't. They're not. They're not. you. And I think relinquishment. When you see. To claim it. To give up. Means you're not. Chasing all this superficial bullshit. of doing what others told you to do? I think this is that surrenders, where it goes more in the spiritual level. The surrender goes more. It's more. intimate. Some more inside. And when you surrender that. Doesn't really matter. What pops up. What comes up. What everybody else is doing. It doesn't. Because the only thing I'm responsible for is me. And. Becoming a success. Where I become more useful. To the world. But I can't be useful to others. If I'm not first purposeful. For myself. I got to take control. Uh, management. You do that? Become a person of self-discipline. Control. What is it? Control. Purification. Relinquishment control. Management. Purification. Remove the contaminants. Purified. Not that you're perfect. Just remove the things that you can remove out of your life. And then work towards some of the other things that need to be, it might not be over over night, but it can be over time. Remove the contaminants. And then relinquishment. Surrender. Let God do his thing in your life. That's what it is, man. So this is the. This is really deep. What's your take on it. I'd love to hear from you. Um, hit me up on all the socials are you can DM me marshbuice.com and the bottom right. Is a mic from you to me. Let me. know what you think on this. And what's your take. I'd love to hear you. You may, you may see this, write this down and have a totally different take. On. What you, how you interpret this would. Years in wrong. Mine's not necessarily right. It's right. for me. That's how I interpret it. And I want to share it with you. All right. Let's get out of here. Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough peace