Power Under Control

You don’t need tons of self-discipline to live the Excelerated Life. You need just enough discipline to train yourself to behave in a certain way. Untrained power is useless. Excelerated Self-Discipline helps you get your strength under control and channeled toward the life you want.

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power under control

Blessed Are The Disciplined

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” ~ Matthew 5:5 (NIV)

I came across an interesting idea recently. It concerns the word meek, specifically as used in this Bible verse from the Beatitudes.

In English, the word meek comes from the old Norse mjúkr which, according to Google,
means “soft” or “gentle”. We sometimes think of this meekness as mild-mannered, reserved, and unassuming, even to the point of weakness.

But here’s the interesting tidbit I found. The Greek word used in biblical texts is praus. Praus refers to strength controlled through discipline. It is “power without undue harshness.” [1]

According to some scholars, ancient Greeks used the term to describe tamed animals. A wild horse is powerful but its strength and power are useless to us. Only after the horse is tamed and trained does its great strength become useful. [2] This is praus . . . power under control.

Now I am not a biblical scholar and the meaning of this verse is not my focus here. What I am interested in is the concept of praus, controlled strength. And to me, controlled strength comes through discipline.

Power Under Control

What can controlled power do? Just as horses and other powerful animals can be trained and their power brought under control, other natural phenomena can be tamed and put to use. Water and fire, for example.

Niagra Falls, which straddles the border between the US and Canada is about 1060 feet from bank to bank and 176 feet high. 150,000 gallons of water flow over the falls per second. [3] For thousands of years, vast amounts of water flowed over the falls; potential but untapped power. Then in 1882, the first electric power plant was built on the falls. [4] Today, power plants at Niagra Falls have the capacity to produce about 4.9 million kilowatts of electricity – enough to power 3.8 million homes. [4] That is power under control.

The wildfires in California and Oregon have burned millions of acres and are responsible for at least 30 deaths (as of this writing at the end of September 2020). This is massive power out of control. Yet we can tame fire, bring it under control and use it to cook our food and heat our homes. That is power under control.

Strength that is not controlled is unusable and can be deadly. For strength to be useful, we must learn to bring it under control. And what is true for waterfalls and wildfires is true for you and me on a personal level. We gain strength through discipline.

Self-Discipline – Bringing Power Under Control

Excelerated Self-discipline™ — doing what you say you will do — is a component of the Excelerated Life principle of taking action. Knowing what you want to achieve and desiring to fulfill your purpose are necessary first steps, but without action, they will not happen. And taking action requires you to have the discipline to do what you say you will do. You must bring your strength under control. Without discipline, power is unusable.

How can you begin to bring your power under control? “So you have to start making yourself do things that help you exert control,” Stuart Wilde writes in Infinite Self: 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power. “Invent things, one after the next — some disciplines of a minor nature, others more major, but get the ego used to the idea that you are going to get it doing things it doesn’t necessarily like. It’s got to buy the idea that you are in control. For the most part, it doesn’t matter what disciplines you pick as long as you pick something.”

Although we say “self”-discipline, we are actually exercising God’s strength under God’s control. [1] We are not doing this on our own. We are tapping into a higher source.

Steps To More Discipline

Start small – just as if training a horse. Pick a few disciplines that you want to add to your life. Maybe it’s putting your clothes away as soon as you change. Perhaps it’s cleaning up the kitchen right after a meal. Or making your bed every morning.

When you do it, as Lanny Bassham writes in his book With Winning in Mind, say, “That’s like me!” When (not If) you don’t do it, don’t beat yourself up. Say to yourself, “Needs work!” And resolve to do it next time.

Think of this as an experiment. You are finding ways to train yourself and tap into your personal power. As an experiment, don’t think of it as win or lose. Instead, make it win or learn. Keep my 2020 theme in mind: (ff)3 -> fail fast, fail frequently, fail forward.

For an in-depth look at ways to increase your self-discipline, review the Excelerator Jump Start – Excelerated Discipline, quick actions you can take right now to begin doing what you say you will do. Take the first step in self-discipline which leads to self-mastery.

Why You Need Praus

Understand that you don’t need tons of self-discipline to live the Excelerated Life. You need just enough discipline to train yourself to behave in a certain way – to form habits and to get yourself used to the idea that you are going to be doing things you don’t necessarily like but that help you build your self-control.

Remember praus: controlled, disciplined strength. What steps can you take today to begin increasing your own self-discipline? Self-discipline leads to consistent action. And consistent action leads to achieving your goals and fulfilling your unique purpose. That is embracing the Excelerated Life™!


Excelerated Self-discipline™ — doing what you say you will do — is one step in creating your Excelerated Life™, a life of flourishing and well-being and a life of meaning, purpose and service.

Read more about the Excelerated Life™.


Resources:

[1] “4239.praus.” Bible Hub. Bible Hub, . Web. September 12, 2020.
https://biblehub.com/greek/4239.htm

[2] “Text Sermons : Greek Word Studies : Gentle (4239) praus.” Sermon Index.net. SermonIndex.net,. Web. September 12, 2020.
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/articles/index.php?view=article&aid=34136

[3] “Facts About Niagara Falls.” Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls Tourism Information Services,. Web. September 12, 2020.
https://www.niagarafallslive.com/facts_about_niagara_falls.htm

[4] “Niagara Falls FAQ: Power Generation.” NYFalls. NYFalls.com,. Web. September 12, 2020.
https://nyfalls.com/niagara-falls/faq-4/#:~:text=The%20amount%20of%20electricity%20the,close%20to%202.2%20million%20kilowatts.

Bassham, Lanny R. With Winning in Mind. United States: Hale Books, 2011.

Wilde, Stuart. Infinite Self: 33 Steps to Reclaiming Your Inner Power. New York: Hay House, 1996

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