Long-term thinking determines much of our success, because it empowers discipline. In contrast, a focus on instant gratification weakens discipline. A good working definition for “discipline” is “the ability to do what you ought to do -- whether you feel like it or not.”
Discipline keeps you focused on the important, rather than the urgent. The measure of discipline is the degree to which you refuse being tyrannized by the urgent. In other words, it’s your refusal to “manage by crisis.” We all know it is easier to handle the urgent first, regardless of how important it is. That’s why 95 percent of business works in the reactive -- rather than the proactive -- mode.