On the matter of Self-Discipline:

    All my life I have been very bad at speaking in front of a group. Not that I felt nervous, especially, because I have done a fair amount of amatuer acting. After the first few times, I was never afraid to get up on stage and act a part. But giving a speech was always catastrophic.

  There came a point when I decided I had to do something about this. I was at a meeting where the speaker was part of the group and I asked him how he learned to speak so well. He advised me to join Toastmasters. So I did.

  I was surprised to find that public speaking was really rather easy. You see, I had always thought it was something you were born with - either you coud do it or you couldn’t — and I couldn’t! But I discovered public speaking was simply a series of techniques — and techniques can be learned.

  I didn’t have to use self-discipline to force myself to do it. I just had to prove to my sub-conscious that it was easy. And it became easy. Now I feel quite comfortable standing up in front of a group and speaking.

  All because I told myself I can do this.

  If you want to make reaching your goals difficult, just tell yourself frequently that it is difficult, that you need self-discipline to overcome temptation, etc. If you want to make achieving your goals easy, just tell yourself frequently that it is easy and all you have to do is want them.

  Your subconscious is a magical thing, and it will do magical things for you -- if you let it.

According to Michael E. Gerber (The E-Myth Revisited):

  Your business is nothing more than a distinct reflection of who you are. If your thinking is sloppy, your business will be sloppy. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you are greedy, your employees will be greedy, giving you less and less of themselves and always asking for more.

  If your information about what needs to be done in your business is limited, your business will reflect that limitation.

  So if your business is to change—as it must continually to thrive—you must change first.If you are unwilling to change, your business will never be capable of giving you what you want.

  The first change that needs to take place has to do with your idea of what a business really is and what it takes to make one work. Once you fully understand the relationship every owner must have with his or her business if it is to work, I can assure you that your business and your life will take on new vitality and new meaning.

  You'll know why so many people fail to get what they want from a business of their own. You'll see the almost magical opportunities available to anyone who starts a small business in the right way, with a true understanding, with the necessary tools.

  I've seen it happen thousands of times, in every kind of business imaginable, with people who knew nothing about business when they started. My wish is that by the time you are through reading this book, it will have started to happen to you.

  Michael E. Gerber:

  "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It"
  "E-Myth Mastery : The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company"
  "The E-Myth Revisited CD : Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and..." [UNABRIDGED]