Mayra Calvani's Blog - Posts Tagged "discipline"

Harris Kern is recognized as the foremost authority on providing practical guidance for solving management issues and challenges. He has devoted over 30 years helping professionals build competitive organizations. His client list reads like a who’s who of American and International Business. His client list includes Standard and Poor’s, GE, The Weather Channel, NEWS Corporation, Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminal (HACTL), among hundreds of other Fortune500 and Global 2000 companies. He pioneered the Discipline Mentoring Program and Professional/Personal Growth Program (P²GP) and is the author of over 40 books, including his latest, Going From Undisciplined to Self-Mastery.

Website / Amazon

Q: Congratulations on the release of your latest book, Going From Undisciplined to Self-Mastery. What was your inspiration for it?

A: As a life coach my clients gave me the inspiration to write this book. On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the highest level of discipline - the average rating for my clients is a 3. Very few people are disciplined. People waste on average 4 hours a day - that's 2 months from their life flushed down the toilet. It's the same issues all over the world - I refer to them as the dirty dozen:

The Dirty Dozen:

Severe procrastination
Failed goals
No motivation
No sense of urgency
Disorganized
Lack of structure
Not focused
Not managing sleep optimally
Poor performance
Poor time management
Lack of energy
Inconsistency

Q: Why do you think so many people have problems with discipline?

A: Being disciplined is hard work - although the results speak for themselves: efficient with time, always achieving your goals and living life with urgency to accomplish more. However, very few want to put in the effort to acquire discipline. It means living a very structured lifestyle (being organized, following a routine, following a to-do list and maintaining a good health regiment daily).

Q: How is your book different than others about this subject?

A: My formula for success is derived from hundreds of life coaching case studies and dozens of organization performance mentoring engagements from Fortune 500 and Global 2000. It is the proof not the hype. I also walk the talk. I've lived the past 4 decades following the 5 steps in my book and my accomplishments speak for themselves.

Q: Why do people procrastinate?

A: For several reasons:

They don't know how to train their mind to consistently motivate themselves.
They have a lackadaisical approach to each day. They don't know how to live life with a sense of urgency.
They look at time wasted as a few hours here or there. However the average person wastes 4 hours a day procrastinating. If you extrapolate that throughout the year - they're flushing 2 months of their life down the toilet.

Q: What do you hope readers will learn from your book?

A: How-to combat the DIRTY DOZEN above to live a happier, more productive  and successful life.

Q: What is your writing schedule like and how do you balance it with your other work and family life?

A: I write approximately 2 hours a night after I wake-up. I've trained myself to sleep only 4 hours a night so it allows me to go to the gym and write before anyone in the family wakes up. During the daytime I have 2 businesses to run and my daughter to take care of.

Q: As an author, how do you define success?

A: Success for me is:

Living a happy, productive and balanced life by focusing equally on my 3 priorities (and they're all top priority): career, health and relationships
It's waking up with a purpose everyday
Constantly accomplishing
Leaving behind a legacy for my family
Living a healthy lifestyle

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: I would tell them to start small and begin writing as a hobby. Don't quit your day job.

Q:  Anything else you’d like to tell my readers?

A: Yes: LIVE or EXIST! By being disciplined you will accomplish more and to me living life is about waking up with a purpose, being productive and always accomplishing to eventually leave behind a legacy for your family.