"Get your feet to the ball, square up your body and better the ball." This voice is Scott Rigg, Head Boys Volleyball Coach at Punahou School. Rigg continues, "the attitude of being able to better the ball is crucial in becoming a complete player. Anyone can hit a perfect set or dig a ball that is hit right at you. The ability to accept the challenge, adjust in mid-air and hit off balance requires mental toughness and a real love of the game. The ability to apply this attitude to every play is the quality that makes good players great."

Rigg is describing the choice to become "blue-collar." Blue-collar: have or pertaining to the ability to take pride in your ability to work hard, become the best that you can be and enjoy the process. Blue-collar is the function of self-discipline: the will power to be aware of what you want to accomplish and the strength of character to complete the process.

Self-discipline is a reflection of how hard you want to work and how much you care. Self-discipline is a decision to be consistent, to follow a plan, to manage the distractions and express your fire. Self-discipline is contagious, in crunch time; the team that can play with this level of intensity will win.
Note: Blue-collar is not about class, status or education. The metaphor of blue-collar is used here to describe the eagerness to work hard no matter how good or successful you are. In volleyball, to dive on the floor, run down a ball and simply do everything possible to contribute to the team effort. Blue-collar is about taking pride in your ability to get the job done.

Self-discipline and you
Self-discipline is a fire that is fueled initially by a thought or a feeling.

KEEP IT SIMPLE:
When you have an idea about something that you want to accomplish do you first analyze your situation or check in with your feelings? The answer to this question can provide you with the awareness needed to become more self-disciplined.

CAUTION:
Basic truth #1: Self-discipline needs to be accompanied by a serious dose of reality. As they say in the South, "Hard work will not make a plow horse win the derby." Translation: Make sure you are in the right race and that your hard work is fueled by the love of your activity.

Basic truth #2: No one can predict the outcome of hard work on your performance. The term over-achiever was coined for people like you who beat the odds. Translation: Make sure you run a smart race. Only you can determine what is real and what is fantasy in terms of what you want to accomplish.

Self-discipline as a thought
Diane Stowell, World-Class swimmer, runner and paddler speaks to the issue of self-discipline as a thought. "For me, self-discipline is a thought; I analyze each situation and when I know in my mind that I can do it… I do. Many people make a big deal out of age as it relates to performance. I simply do not see any reason why I can't do the things I want to do and do them well. I am committed to being the best that I can be. Self-discipline is a thought that allows me to know that I can train hard, work hard, have fun and compete on my terms."

Thinkers
You like to analyze your situation and develop a flow chart for creating an end result. Be careful not to over-think your situation, in this case the result will be "paralysis by analysis."
Note: If you are lacking in will power, you may have talked yourself into doing too much or out of doing it at all and your feelings need to be consulted.

The case of Sue
Sue over-thinks and over-trains; she has pushed the concept of self-discipline to the extreme. In her efforts to be the best she can be she has squeezed all the fun out of her activity and "stuffed" her feelings. Sue competes in a timed-event; her times are getting slower, she is losing weight and she easily gets sick. Sue needs to take a break from her activity, explore her feelings, and find a balance between how hard she trains and her ability to recover.

Self-discipline as a feeling
Ben Aipa, World Class Surfer, speaks to the issue of self-discipline as a feeling. "For me, self-discipline, originates with a feeling, a feeling that I maintain with physical exercise and diet. Even when I am sick and/or injured, times when I don't have the feeling, I can reflect on where I am and draw on my physical and mental conditioning to pull me through. Recently, I surfed in a contest on the mainland. The air was cold, the water was cold and my ankle was injured to the point of not being able to walk on the board. I refused to give in to negative thinking; I recaptured enough of the feeling to place third in the contest. Right now I am rehabbing my ankle with bike riding and eating a diet that keeps me feeling light and energetic. Self-discipline is a feeling, a feeling that drives me to stay on my program, a feeling that I can be at my best."

Feelers
You like to explore your feelings for each situation and have these feelings serve as your guide to create the result you want. Be careful not to over-do your emotions, in this case you could burn yourself out. Note: If you are lacking in will power, you may need to manage the feeling and set some limits; your thoughts need to be evaluated.

The case of Bob
Bob is an exceptional surfer and he has zero self-discipline. He only surfs when the surf is good; he parties hard and never trains. Bob wants to compete in surfing, yet he lacks the self-discipline to surf on a regular basis and get in shape. Bob needs to rethink his expectations and establish a program that will allow him to surf on a regular basis, be competitive and have fun.

Self-discipline as a balance
In the metaphor of fire as positive emotion, self-discipline is the on-off valve that allows you to adjust the flame, to regulate the amount of emotion you need to get the job done. The ability to regulate the amount of emotion you need is accomplished by the integration of your thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts provide the clarity and your feelings provide the energy, together they provide the forward momentum to improve your performance. The process of learning to be self-disciplined demands that you become aware of your tendency to be a thinker or feeler and then work to achieve a balance between your thoughts and feelings.

Julie Prochaska, professional kitesurfer, speaks to the issue of self-discipline as a balance. "I perform best when my thoughts and feelings are balanced. When I let my mind tell me when to push harder and when not to push as hard and I feel my performance. When I think too much, I have a tendency to become negative, critical of my performance, or too focused on other people's performances. When I rely too much on my feelings, I find myself trying too hard...not relaxing. I push myself too hard...or not hard enough. I also get stuck in ruts when I rely too much on my feelings...for instance, I keep performing moves that feel good and I know I can complete, rather than trying new moves. When my thoughts are in balance with my feelings, I keep striving to improve...saying, "Okay...let's up the ante and I find myself constantly in a state of progression... a state of excitement. It's my checks and balances program. A way of striving for more and yet feeling good about my performance and myself."

Trisha Kawamoto, a defensive specialist at Puget Sound, speaks to the issue of self-discipline and volleyball. Self-discipline is the ability to think about what my responsibilities are and execute them and then process the feelings related to how well I did. When we are serving, I look across the net at the hitters and I think about our scouting reports, or past hits. Where does each hitter like to hit, and where is my spot on defense should that person get set? If I don't get to my spot defensively; then it's lack of self-discipline because that's the easiest part about playing defense. When I'm serving, and my coach gives me a signal, and I don't hit it, then that's totally a function of self-discipline. I know that I have all the tools to serve the ball anywhere on the court. Some areas might be harder than others might be to hit might, but I KNOW that I can put the ball there. When the ball doesn't go there, it's a lack of self-discipline on my part. If I miss the spot, or miss the serve, I can't eat myself up about that. I need to channel those feelings into playing more aggressively on defense or nail the next pass. When it comes to my emotions attached to the outcome of the game, I need to remember how the right feelings feel. My feelings let me know when I have served tough and played good defense. No matter how well I played or whether we won or lost, self-discipline allows me to learn from these emotions and then get back to focusing on how much I love to play volleyball."

Summary
Self-discipline is a feedback loop that allows information to be relayed effectively between your thoughts and feelings. Julie and Trisha have learned how to maintain their self-discipline and keep the fire burning. The result is an increase in their ability to evaluate their performance, manage their intensity, have more fun and feel good about themselves. The same could be true for you!