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Discipline to Success:

The Physical Temperance Attribute

We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power . . . The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
Patrick Henry

continuation from BLOG post: part VII.d

Physical Temperance:

Moderation or self-restraint in action, thought, or feeling. Habitual moderation in the indulgence of the physical appetites or passions; not excessive in degree.

The physical temperance is the control of physical appetites and passions. We can segment the physical temperance attribute into two areas:

Physical temperance goals require more energy than the physical development goals. The inverse pyramid scale shows that internal energy increases because physical temperance demands continuous attention for the whole day — like resisting the temptation to bait your nails.

It can be extremely difficult to control an addiction. But physical addictions are isolated cases that require special attention. Most physical temperance goals use less total energy than the education, social and spiritual attributes. The physical temperance attribute thus becomes the second attribute in the hierarchy scale that rounds the character.

I apologize for drilling these energy concepts over and over. Understand that —

You will be more successful in shaping a well-rounded character by first developing the character attribute that requires less total energy.

As you successfully strengthen the first attribute, you begin to build self-confidence and discipline.

The more successful you are in developing and strengthening a character attribute, the faster the increase of self-confidence and discipline.

Increased discipline gives you the strength to shape the other character attributes.

These arguments support my recommendation that you should first develop and strengthen the physical attributes — physical development and physical temperance — before developing the mental attributes — education, social and spiritual.

Too many people fail to achieve their goals because it requires them to change a character that has been shaped and molded by their environment, family and friends. They find it impossible to break out of this mold, especially when family, friends and others fail to respect the character change that they are making. We live with stereotypes . . . we are fat . . . we are sloppy . . . we are shy . . . we are boring . . . we are lazy . . . we are etc., etc., etc. Breaking these stereotypes is nearly impossible unless you build inner strength.

Changing your character begins slowly, with one attribute development at a time. We begin with the physical development attribute in the last posting and continue with the physical temperance attribute in this posting. Developing and strengthening these two attributes over the next few weeks will give you the physical strength and self-confidence to develop and strengthen the other three attributes and to break out of your stereotype.

Next week: we will review the steps to build out your physical temperance goal.

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BLOG postings: (link to Achieving Success BLOG for all posts and PDF downloads)

Discipline to Success:

The Physical Temperance Attribute

We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of Nature has placed in our power . . . The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. 
Patrick Henry

continuation from BLOG post: part VII.d

Physical Temperance:

Moderation or self-restraint in action, thought, or feeling. Habitual moderation in the indulgence of the physical appetites or passions; not excessive in degree.

The physical temperance attribute is the second of five character attributes for character well-roundedness. It is also the second attribute in the inverse pyramid scale. Physical temperance is the control of physical appetites and passions. Unlike the physical attribute discussed in the last chapter, which seeks physical attainment, the physical temperance attribute seeks physical control. We can segment the physical temperance attribute into two areas:

There is a distinction between physical habits and physical indulgences. Habits are physical actions that we do subconsciously. Some habits are good, such as brushing your teeth, while other habits are undesirable, such as chewing food with your mouth open. The physical temperance attribute identifies these undesirable habits and sets a goal to rid ourselves of these habits.

What are undesirable habits? That depends on where you are from. I am not an authority on personal manners. But you can find a number of experts on the subject who can identify areas where you can refine your character. Some starters may include the following:

Undesirable Physical Habits:

• Being interruptive
• Being rude
• Being abrasive
• Using foul language
• Biting your Nails, Spitting, etc.

Physical indulgences, on the other hand, are the personal wants of physical appetites and passions. The physical temperance attribute moderates physical appetites, and desires that often control our lives. Some of these indulgences include dangerous addictions to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and other substances. Again I am not trying to be an expert. You need to research your inner self to determine where addictive behavior affects your performance. Some examples may include the following:

Examples of Physical Indulgences that Require Moderation
(or complete elimination):

• Smoking
• Excessive Drinking
• Caffeinated Drinks
• Use of Drugs
• Late Nights
• Excessive Eating
• Excessive Work
• Excessive (you define)

The two listings are brief but paint a picture of why bad habits and physical indulgences weaken our ability to succeed. Physical temperance is the control over these passions that translates into increased physical discipline and self-esteem.

Physical temperance goals require more energy than the physical development goals discussed in the last chapter. The inverse pyramid scale shows that internal energy increases because physical temperance demands continuous attention for the whole day — like resisting the temptation to bait your nails.

Note from the scale that external energy increases for the physical temperance attribute. Your control of undesirable habits and appetites may require outside services such as alcohol prevention centers. Some indulgences like substance abuse may require great levels of total energy to control — perhaps more total energy than any of the five attributes.

It can be extremely difficult to control an addiction. But physical addictions are isolated cases that require special attention. Most physical temperance goals use less total energy than the education, social and spiritual attributes. The physical temperance attribute thus becomes the second attribute in the hierarchy scale that rounds the character.

Next week: we get into more detail on building physical temperance.

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BLOG postings: (link to Achieving Success BLOG for all posts and PDF downloads)

Discipline to Success:

The Physical Attribute

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Benjamin Franklin

continuation from BLOG post: part VII.c

Last Couple Weeks:
we went over a 6-step plan to build up your physical character. The plan has you performing some physical change for the past two weeks. It’ now time to assess how you did.  We move to Step 7 in our discussion.

Develop - Strengthen Your Physical Attribute

The seventh step returns to make an evaluation of your physical progress for the last 14 days. Answer the following questions:

Did you achieve for 11 or more days your physical development goal (from Appendix Form-E)?

Do you notice a physical change?

Do you feel confident that you can continue developing this goal for the next fourteen days? 

If you answered “no” to any one of the three questions, you need to return to Step (1) in this posting and complete the steps indicated. The reason for your return to Step (1) is to develop the physical attribute before moving onto the other character attributes.

The total energy required to make a physical change is less than the other four attributes. If you failed to achieve your physical development goal for at least 11 of more days, chances are that you will fail to make any positive change in any of the other four attributes. At the end of the next 14 days, make another evaluation of your progress by completing Step (7).

If you answered “yes” to all three questions, reward yourself with a token gift (buy yourself a milk shake). You will now continue developing and strengthening the same physical development goal — perhaps with more intensity — for an additional 7 days. At which time we will discuss development of your physical temperance attribute.  

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