Website design By BotEap.comOne of my favorite musical instruments is the bagpipe. Many years ago, on a beautiful, bright sunny day, my family and I listened to a beautiful version of Amazing Grace played by a piper on the shore as our family sailed from Halifax, Nova Scotia. We continued to listen to Amazing Grace as it drifted more than 3 miles offshore.

Website design By BotEap.comIt was announced in newspapers around the world on August 22, 2016 that a 61-year-old bagpiper had died of “hypersensitivity pneumonitis – bagpipe lung.” He was caused by bacteria from the “wet environment” on his bagpipes that turned into mold and mildew. For the previous seven years he suffered from “shortness of breath, dry cough” and “could only walk about 65 feet.”

Website design By BotEap.comDisinfecting every part of his bagpipe every day would have prevented his death. It’s all about discipline!

Website design By BotEap.comThis is a wake-up call for all musicians, pipers, woodwind players, and brass players to thoroughly clean their instrument every day. ” Cleanliness is next to mercy.”

Website design By BotEap.comEverything is related to discipline. The discipline of preparation. Two friends of mine are firefighters. They have their fire gear ready, so within minutes they are ready for a fire. They practice for team fires with their air pack to be ready in 90 seconds. Once you develop discipline, it becomes a part of you, a good, positive habit.

Website design By BotEap.comThe true disciple gives you the freedom to give your best and be your best self, allowing you to achieve success. For example: cleaning up after yourself and keeping your workplace organized.

Website design By BotEap.comMy husband and I went to a local restaurant for a quick lunch. The waitress, who we had never seen before, brought our food and took an extra 5 minutes to get the ketchup out after our burgers were served. When she finally brought her the ketchup, the burger was cold. Soon after, we were in a hurry to get back to work. The restaurant was almost empty, and we had to look for the waitress to get our bill. This waitress won’t last long! She doesn’t have the discipline for the job!

Website design By BotEap.comIn our lives, we need to be disciplined in both our minds and our bodies to keep ourselves free from mental clutter and/or physical clutter.

Website design By BotEap.comJust like you brush your teeth twice a day to reduce the bacteria that feed on your body and we take a shower every day. This is about our daily discipline.

Website design By BotEap.comWhen I was 8 years old, I remember my violin teacher, Mr. William Whitson, teaching me to wash my hands with soap and water before playing the violin. After practicing, Mr. Whitson taught me how to wipe my violin with a clean cotton cloth to remove rosin from all surfaces of the violin, including the strings, fingerboard, and bridge. Rosin is pine sap from a tree that in its clean state is rubbed on the hair of the violin bow to hold the strings together by making them speak. Mr. Whitson also had me clean the rosin off the wooden part of my bow. He wanted to protect the instrument from damage from sticky rosin. He taught each of his students the discipline of taking care of his instruments. It’s about discipline.

Website design By BotEap.comMany years ago, when I was a student in New York City, I lent my violin to a friend when she was repairing her instrument. When she brought me my violin after a week, it was covered in sticky rosin everywhere! It took me several hours to clean my violin. My former friend had not been taught the discipline of taking care of her violin. I should have brought my violin to clean myself when I gave it to him!

Website design By BotEap.comFor over 30 years, I have taught my string students the discipline of cleaning their instruments.

Website design By BotEap.comPart of the discipline is teaching our children to wash and dry their hands after going to the bathroom. Harvard Medical School says, “In studies, washing hands with soap and water for 30 seconds reduces bacteria counts by nearly 99.9%.” They also say: “It takes about 20 seconds to dry your hands thoroughly if you use paper or cloth towels. It’s all a matter of training and discipline!”

Website design By BotEap.comWhat new discipline are you going to start today?

Website design By BotEap.comAccept the challenge of a day!

Website design By BotEap.comHere are five suggestions: Try one of them!

Website design By BotEap.com1) You have a huge stack of papers on your desk. Get your papers in order, file information documents in the correct folders, and pay your bills according to the due dates on them.

Website design By BotEap.com2) Immediately after cooking dinner, put pots and pans in the sink to soak in warm, soapy water. This way you can quickly and easily clean up after eating.

Website design By BotEap.com3) Eat one scoop of ice cream instead of two.

Website design By BotEap.com4) Quit smoking cigarettes for a day.

Website design By BotEap.com5) As you run out of certain foods in your refrigerator, write down each needed food on a paper pad. Then take your list to the supermarket.

Website design By BotEap.comRemember, discipline is meeting some goal you have and not finding excuses not to finish the task. Don’t procrastinate. To be disciplined you have to take the first step. Don’t just talk about it. Have to. Take your first step. Then take your second step and continue until you complete what you started.

Website design By BotEap.comIt’s all about discipline!