Who among us could not use a little more self discipline! I came across this post from June 2014 and thought it worth sharing with my friends. There are many important qualities that can contribute to a person’s
achievements and happiness, but there is only one that begets
sustainable, long term success in all aspects of life – self
discipline. Whether in terms of your diet, fitness, work ethic, or
relationships, self discipline is the number one trait needed to accomplish goals, lead a healthy lifestyle, and ultimately, to be happy. According
to a 2013 study by Wilhelm Hoffman, people with high self control are
happier than those without. The study discovered this is true because
the self disciplined subjects were more capable of dealing with goal
conflicts. These people spent less time debating whether to indulge in
behaviors detrimental to their health, and were able to make positive
decisions more easily. The self disciplined did not allow their choices
to be dictated by impulses or feelings. Instead, they made informed,
rational decisions on a daily basis without feeling overly stressed or
upset. Despite what many may think, self discipline is a
learned behavior. It requires practice and repetition in your
day-to-day life. To improve your own self discipline, test out these 5
proven methods for gaining better control. This regimen will help you
to establish good habits, break bad ones, and improve your control by
making simple changes to your everyday routine. Improved self
discipline will allow you to live a freer life by helping you to make
healthy choices, not emotional ones. Give it a shot. Your happiness
will thank you for it. 1. Remove temptations.
Self control is often easiest when abiding by the old saying, “out of
sight, out of mind.” Removing all temptations and distractions from
your environment is a crucial first step when working to improve your
self discipline. If you are trying to have better control of your
eating, toss the junk food. Ask your office intern to leave you off of
the daily lunch order email. If you want to improve your focus while
working, turn off your cell phone and remove the clutter from your
desk. If you’re really having trouble, download the SelfControl app on
your computer to block distraction websites – Facebook, Youtube, even
e-mail – for a set period of time. Set yourself up for success by
ditching the bad influences. 2. Eat regularly and healthily.
Studies have shown that low blood sugar often weakens a person’s
resolve. When you’re hungry, your ability to concentrate suffers as
your brain is not functioning to its highest potential. Hunger makes it
difficult to focus on the tasks at hand, not to mention making you
grumpy and pessimistic. You are much more likely to have a weakened
sense of self control in all areas of our life – diet, exercise, work,
relationships… you name it. In order to stay on track, make sure that
you are well fueled throughout the day with healthy snacks and meals
every few hours. I personally make sure to always have some almonds or
Muscle Milk on hand. These snacks ensure that I can get a dose of
healthy protein and fats throughout the day when needed. Eating often
regulates your blood sugar levels and improves your decision making
skills and concentration. Allow you brain to focus on your goals and
priorities instead of on your growling stomach. 3. Don’t wait for it to “feel right.”
Improving your self discipline means changing up your normal routine,
which can be uncomfortable and awkward. Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit,
explains that habit behaviors are traced to a part of the brain called
the basal ganglia – a portion of the brain associated with emotions,
patterns, and memories. Decisions, on the other hand, are made in the
prefrontal cortex, a completely different area. When a behavior becomes
habit, we stop using our decision-making skills and instead function on
auto-pilot. Therefore, breaking a bad habit and building a new habit
not only requires us to make active decisions, it will feel wrong. Your
brain will resist the change in favor of what it has been programmed to
do. The solution? Embrace the wrong. Acknowledge that it will take a
while for your new regime to feel right or good or natural. Keep
chugging along. It will happen. 4. Schedule breaks, treats, and rewards for yourself.
Self discipline does not mean your new regimen needs to be entirely
cold turkey, hard core, or drill sergeant-like in execution. In fact,
giving yourself zero wiggle room often results in failures,
disappointments, and giving into your old ways. While practicing self
control, schedule specific breaks, treats, and rewards for yourself.
Dieting? Designate Saturday as ice cream sundae day. Trying to lose
weight? Treat yourself with a fancy massage after a month of gym trips.
Working on controlling your spending? Allow yourself a $25 splurge at
the mall on Sunday. (Leave the credit cards at home, and bring cash
only). Self discipline can be hard. Reward your effort. 5. Forgive yourself and move forward.
Instituting a new way of thinking won’t always go according to plan.
You will have ups and downs, fabulous successes, and flat out failures.
The key is to keep moving forward. When you have a setback, acknowledge
what caused it and move on. It is easy to get wrapped up in guilt,
anger, or frustration, but these emotions will not help build improve
self discipline. Instead, use the hiccups in your plan as learning
experiences for the future. Forgive yourself, and get back in the
saddle ASAP. The longer you’re off your game, the harder it is to keep
going in a positive direction.
I'm thinking about a 4" x 12" copper wall plate on each side of the antenna pass-through between the shop where the PVC surfaces from the outside and the adjacent shack. The plate would be 1/8" thick and held in place with stainless steel screws and 4-6" bulkhead SO-239 amphenol connectors. I don't anticipate having more than 4 active antennas at one time. The ground strap feeding in from the outside would also be attached to the copper plate. The polyphasers at the entrance would also be grounded as well as the baluns.