There is one quality that can set a person apart from the ranks of the mediocre and unambitious: it is not innate talent, nor education, nor IQ—it is self-discipline. With self-discipline, everything becomes possible; without it, even the simplest goal seems tantalizingly out of reach. —Theodore Roosevelt 01 Those who harbor great ambitions in their hearts are often highly self-disciplined. During the Chongqing negotiations, Chiang Kai-shek remarked to his secretary, Chen Bulei: “Mao Zedong should never be underestimated. He is passionately devoted to smoking, yet once he realized I do not smoke, he refrained from lighting a single cigarette throughout our entire conversation. His resolve and spirit must not be taken lightly!” Self-disciplined individuals are both formidable and admirable. If you have such a companion, learn from them how to discipline yourself; for every act of self-indiscipline brings greater suffering. Do not become a slave to your desires—self-discipline allows us to live a more elevated life. 02 Kant said that true freedom is not doing whatever one pleases, but rather being master of oneself. At first, day by day or month by month, the difference may not be obvious; but over a year, two years, or even ten, twenty years, the paths of the self-disciplined and the undisciplined will ultimately diverge completely. Sustained excellence itself is a form of self-discipline—this holds true for both the body and for life as a whole. Recall last year when a 96-year-old man named Shen Hua went viral online. Having worked out for 26 years, he remains remarkably fit and robust, hardly resembling someone nearing a century of age. Everyone calls him “Hua-zai” or “Uncle Hua.” Shen’s daily routine is meticulously regular: he never stays up past ten at night, rises before four in the morning to stretch and move his body, and heads to the gym every afternoon. Many of his peers have already passed away, yet Shen says, “These days, fitness and exercise are my best friends.” When Shen, now in his seventies, first joined the gym, he often drew scornful looks; many assumed that at his age he surely wouldn’t last long. In reality, however, while many young people come and go from the gym, Shen has spent twenty years there, earning himself the nickname “Muscle Grandpa.” 03 The self-discipline of business tycoons is even more astonishing. Even someone as successful as Li Ka-shing continues to watch English-language television after dinner every evening—not only watching, but also speaking aloud along with the program, lest he fall behind; and he makes it a point to read before bed each night. There are many other business leaders as disciplined as Li Ka-shing; the world’s richest man, Bill Gates, has steadfastly read at least two books a week for decades. Often, it is not that excellence breeds self-discipline; rather, it is precisely because you cultivate self-discipline that you become excellent. And those who are self-disciplined—often, even Heaven itself cannot bear to let them down. 04 Make self-discipline a good habit The highest form of self-discipline is when it becomes second nature, an effortless habit. We all know that behavior shapes habits, habits shape character, and character determines destiny. As the American psychologist William James put it, it takes only 21 days to form or change a habit. Short-term self-discipline helps us develop a habit; long-term self-discipline, on the other hand, transforms one’s entire way of life. As company employees, we must conscientiously abide by all rules and regulations—but above all, we need to practice self-discipline. The more self-disciplined we are, the better we perform.