We are dealing with one of the biggest challenges of modern life. Our goal right now is to eradicate the coronavirus, get back to normal, and preserve our economy. Most people have the same agenda. However, the U. S. is not doing a good job. Two of the principles of success are emotional discipline and respect. In this fight, we are lacking both. I’m going to show you how these principles apply to this fight, and to your success in general.

 Although these challenges are amazing, they are nevertheless straight forward in nature.  Health professionals have come to a consensus on the way we can curb the spread. This is not a political issue. This is a health and livelihood issue. We must respect and follow the advice put out by epidemiologists and other doctors. We also should not vilify original statements that were wrong when this virus was brand new. Furthermore, other countries provide a roadmap to get this pandemic under control. It’s simple. Simple does not always equate to easy. After all, it’s simple not to put a cookie in your mouth, spend money, or pour that glass of wine after work. For some, it’s not easy and this fight is not going to be easy. Lastly, we all need to respect the damage that this virus has already wrecked. There are thousands of people in morgues.  There are even more in hospital beds. This is not the sniffles or the flu.

 The challenging part of this pandemic is emotional discipline, and I believe that emotional discipline is a principle of success. It bothers me when people say that they need to go on vacation, or they need to go out with their friends, or they feel sorry for their kids because they get bored at home. Disney World just opened up. Who NEEDS to go to Disney World during a pandemic?  I admit even I have done things that went too far; however, I want to do my part and stay safe.

 I am sensitive and understand the economic toll that this pandemic has had. I get that business owners are beyond frustrated. However, the economy cannot get back to normal until this pandemic is under control. A few weeks ago, I had to go buy a dining room set. Normally, we would’ve taken our sons with us. However, we left them home with my dad and we almost treated the outing as a business trip. We got in. We bought. We got out. If we had made the trip in normal times, we would’ve spent more time there and possibly bought more furniture.  When we are in a grocery store, we don’t linger. Even when we go out to restaurants we might forego dessert or the last round of cocktails. Every two weeks, we would take the kids to the mall and we would spend money on food and desserts. Hotels and other venues will not return until they can have in-person conferences or large weddings. Bottom line is part of the economy won’t come back people feel safe and we won’t feel safe until this is under control.

 Respect and emotional discipline are principles of success.  In order to achieve success, we have to respect the people who have achieved amazing success. We can do this by reading books, listening to podcasts, and, hopefully, sometime soon attending live events. We must also practice emotional discipline, which is choosing the appropriate action more often than not.

Summary: Emotional discipline and respect are key factors in beating this pandemic and returning to our normal lives.