The importance of self-discipline to our success

The instant fame and success of celebrities on stage can easily fool us into believing that success is so instant and easy. Many don't realise the prolonged self-discpline that the celebrities have to put themselves through at back stage. There is a saying in Chinese, "a minute of play on stage takes ten years of disciplined training on the floor." When you go to see a movie you don't see the thousands of hours of effort that went into it. Studies have shown that the single most important factor contributing to the success of musicians is the amount of time they spend practising.

I have spoken to many educators and parents, self-discipline seems to have dropped out of our culture as an admirable trait. Innate talent may be important but is not as vital as sustained effort and application - self-discipline is what really forges success in life.