The Grasshopper and the Ants, the pain of discipline or the pain of regret

The pain of regret is the worst pain you can think of, this is especially because most times, there is no remedy.

The Grasshopper and the Ants, is one of Aesop's Fables. The fable describes a grasshopper that has spent the summer singing and dancing while the ants worked to store up food for winter. When winter arrives, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger and begs the ants for food. However, the ants rebuke its idleness and tells it to dance the winter away now.

Success Leader, Jim Rohn, often said, “We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.” The pain of regret is the “what if’s…” when you look back on your life. The Pain of Regret Is Worse Than the Pain of Discipline. And regret always comes last. These regrets are monumentally heavy. When you regret something because you were not disciplined, there is nothing you can do but accept the past. You can only suffer until you let go.

In the fable the ants did not spend any time enjoying the summer in order to survive the winter. Obviously we could balance our life i.e. to have a good habit of a discipline and still have fun too. Basically the pain of discipline is what we pay to establish a good habit.  

When you refuse to discipline yourself, living life without having self laws, spending as you earn without course to save and invest for the future, allowing yourself to be distracted when you should be working, you are definitely going to live a life of regret. If while your body is strong, you are working and not setting aside anything for future investments, when you get older and weaker, who and what will you fall to?

What you need to start getting more productive is momentum. To have momentum, you just need to act. You don’t need a complete a goal or set milestones just yet. Start from the small things. Sometimes your mind just needs a little nudge, so take some time to think. What are the things that you need to do? How urgent are they? How long would it take to finish them all? Once you have your to-do list, start doing the easiest and most minor things first. Remember, you are not trying to break world records. Your main goal today is to build momentum.

When you have the momentum going, there comes the inner bitch. It’s the voice inside your head that wants you to stop moving forward. The only way to beat your inner bitch is to be consistent, focus on your goal, and do the opposite of what the inner bitch wants you to. 

Your goals will play an essential role in your growth and productivity. They guide you to the right path. When you are lost and tired, look at your goals. Look at how far you’ve come, how close you are to achieve them. Use your goals as a reminder.