I first became familiar with this acronym – DAP – when a friend mentioned it. He is very keen on poker and had came across this in the process of learning about the game. It struck me as a good acronym and something that I have thought about since… not in the poker sense, but in life…
As with all these things the best tenets have fundamentals that can be applied everywhere and be used as a basis of success in whatever endeavour you are involved with.
Discipline
It’s not sexy. Not especially fun. Not widely discussed. Never really used in a hilarious after dinner anecdote scenario. No schoolboy ambition. But it’s essential and what makes the world go round.
So what is discipline?
Well, being disciplined is essentially behaving in a controlled way. Keeping and containing a flow. Learning what needs to be done, acting accordingly and consistently. Not wavering from the appropriate path for the chosen end… and if wavering then rejoining the path at the nearest opportunity.
Discipline ties in with consistency. They go hand in hand. Do you know the difference between successful people and those not so? The real thing that makes people ‘good at what they do’.
Showing up.
Most of the achievements of this world have come from people just doing what they’re supposed to be doing when they’re supposed to be doing it. People who don’t achieve are simply not doing the things they need to do on a regular basis over a period of time. If you just turn up and get it done, you will then move forward, there’s no other outcome.
If you’re a salesperson, you need to contact those prospects. It’s a numbers game. No contact, no sales… a lot of contact, potentially a lot of sales. Ok, this may depend on skill, but how is skill developed… yep, you’ve guessed it.
You may be the best salesman in the world but if you don’t make a phone call or knock on a door that day then you won’t make a sale, simple as that. You may be a sub-standard salesman but if each and every day you are hammering a hundred prospects and eek a couple of sales then you’re beating that other guy.
If you combine that talent and skill then you have the holy grail… but skill and effort will win every time and skill is nurtured through use.
I once did a summer season selling boat party tickets in Cyprus. The guy in charge (we’ll call him ‘G’) was a quirky, no-nonsense Australian guy. He was a millionaire and had people to sell these tickets for him. He was the first one out selling in the morning and the last one back at night… go figure.
A lot of people there were there for party and weren’t necessarily up for going out selling first thing after a night on it. Some lazed around a lot of the day.
Some things G said were simple yet very effective. He said you just have to get out there each and every day and the sales will come. You can’t make sales when you’re in your apartment. The larger portion of your day that you spend out there and speaking with prospects the more chance of making sales and making yourself and him cash and filling the boat for the party.
Stephen King, the famous writer had a discipline of writing a certain number of words each and every day. Whether he felt like it or not. He didn’t wait to be inspired… for some whimsical inspiration fairy to fly through the window and make him type the words. He just wrote… then he wrote some more.
I believe he wrote 2000 words a day and didn’t stop until it was done. There’s over 10,000 words a week. If you do this consistently, it won’t be long until you have a novel… do this over a period of many years you could have several novels (or whatever) and be hugely successful at that craft, as is King. Now, 2000 words isn’t all that much, especially if that is what you do.
Another fine example; the daily discipline of exercise. That one workout and that day when you ate healthier aren’t going to make a difference. But an ongoing routine of regular, consistent exercise and continuously eating clean the majority of the time will gradually make you look and feel a whole lot better.
Even if you don’t necessarily feel the difference each and every time and are unsure what each of these tiny decisions have, know this: The decision not to exercise once and have a high calorific/non nutritious meal won’t actually make a lot of difference but added together over a period of time will. And vice versa. It’s a cumulative effect.
After one workout, 2, 3 you may or may not start to see the difference but you have to have that faith and know that it must be working and as you keep chipping away you and others will notice the changes, motivation and momentum will grow and you’ll be more likely to continue in that vein.
The point is to keep moving forward. Always go in the right direction. Progress.
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment - Jim Rohn
Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them everyday, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor - Brian Tracy
Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity - Brian Tracy
Attitude
Attitude is quite simply the pinnacle and the cornerstone of everything. It permeates through everyone and everything and attracts likewise.
There are two types of people in this world – those with a good attitude and those with a bad attitude. Some may fall in between but I think there is a fairly clear line.
The whole subject of attitude is massive and requires its own article/chapter so won’t go further here. Suffice to say your attitude effects everything so make it good and make it count.
Patience
Here’s an interesting one. Patience is a virtue so they say. Most of us are very impatient, including me. It’s about playing the longer game. The bigger picture.
Back to the poker analysis… this hand may not be your time, you may lose it but you may be setting your opponent up for a later hand to win bigger. In fact you may be playing for a future game. A longer term view. You want to achieve success but you have to realise there is a process to these things. They don’t happen instantly but evolve over a period of time.
You need to pay your dues and reap the rewards in good time. Being in a rush to achieve is what will probably stop you from doing so. You rush things playing a shorter game, get frustrated, go back to square one and so the little merry-go-round continues. Years pass and you’re in the same position.
By playing that longer game you are taking the appropriate action as and when it is required, following an appropriate plan with faith that what you are doing is leading you to that end result. Then, if things don’t turn out as you had hoped you still have that required further patience to not give up, adjust the plan safe in the knowledge that it takes as long as it takes but by continuing persistently and patiently you will get what you’re after… guaranteed.
American entrepreneur Mike Litman talks about an employee mindset versus an entrepreneurial mindset. An employee lives paycheck to paycheck, playing the short game and getting rewarded as he goes along, but he know where he is. The entrepreneur has to play a longer game. They carry out a lot of work without apparent reward but with the potential pay off of a larger reward later down the track. They don’t earn as they go, at least not to start with, and have no guarantee of success.
This is hard for people to fathom. Hence, when a lot of people attempt to turn from being an employee to working for themselves they struggle to make the transition. They still hold on to that old employee mindset, expect and hope things to happen quickly and smoothly… and when it doesn’t they chase round in circles attempting to find that one thing that will help improve their situation, the next big thing. Of course it doesn’t and then something else comes along and so it continues.
They get frustrated, maybe even give up. This is where the patience comes in. The would-be entrepreneur needs to stick to their guns, follow their plan, play a longer game knowing that it will come together eventually but there is no short term payoff… a change in mindset is necessary.
Remember – impatience with actions, and patience with results!
So that’s my thoughts on DAP. A cool little acronym and one worth thinking of as you go about your day and pursuing your pursuits. Have a daily discipline, stick to it as much as possible, maintain a top notch attitude and develop an unwavering patience. This will see you through.
Ok, up next: the daddy of them all… persistence!
Take the Red Pill, Quit the Quo
Book written by Adam Barratt, 2011
Chapter 1: The Status Quo
Chapter 2: Who Am I?
Chapter 3: The Dream Chasing Paradox
Chapter 4: And… Action!
Chapter 5: Decisions, Decisions
Chapter 6: Priorities
Chapter 7: Discipline, Attitude & Patience
Chapter 8: Persistence
Chapter 9: Fear of Criticism
Chapter 10: Kaizen
Chapter 11: Blue Pill Heads & The Not Much Crowd
Chapter 12: Karma
Chapter 13: Rally Call & Final Word
Taking the Red Pill – The Next Level
Book written by Adam Barratt, 2012
Chapter 1: Now Where Were We?
Chapter 2: Routines & Habits
Chapter 3: Perfectionism Plague
Chapter 4: Gossips & Whingers
Chapter 5: Gratitude & Reframing
Chapter 6: Fear Fairies
Chapter 7: Simplify, Minimise, Zen
Chapter 8: You're Not Normal
Chapter 9: Closing