Self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses; the ability to pursue what one thinks is right despite temptations to abandon it.

As I’ve already told you in my “welcome” blog, I’ve reached my point of prosperity. I’ve raised four kids, two of whom are college graduates, and all four have chosen the entrepreneur route. My oldest is a real estate agent, my second born owns an apparel and embroidery business, and my baby girls launched an online clothing boutique. The icing on the cake is that I married a compassionate man, and we celebrated 26 years last month.

What would you say if I told you that life wasn’t always like this for me? What if I told you that my faith, family, and finances were in jeopardy five years ago? Well, it’s true, and here’s my story.

Five years ago, my husband was terminated from his position in a company. He stood up for his team and family, which resulted in losing a very healthy income. We had two kids in college, one in her senior year of high school, and my youngest a sophomore. We had decent savings, but with four kids, it would be wiped out pretty quickly.

My husband and I decided to be responsible for feeding our own family. No longer would we become a victim of someone else’s plan. It was time to execute our own plan, and that’s what we did. During the process of getting our business affairs in order, I received a call from my second born. Before he could tell me why he was calling, I interrupted him and said, “Hey, I’m so glad you called. Can we pick you up from campus today since you don’t have class tomorrow? We’re taking our family holiday picture, and it would be great if I didn’t have to come back downtown to get you.” He replied, “Mom, I can’t walk. I’ve been vomiting, and I can’t walk today.” I was shocked, and I said, “What do you mean you can’t walk? Do I need to call 911?” He cried, “Yes, please!”

That day my whole world flipped. My son would be diagnosed with viral meningitis and quarantined at our local hospital. Since my husband and I had already been exposed to him, we were able to stay with him in his hospital room.

Day One: My husband and I told no one. We didn’t want to upset the other kids, and our son was fighting for his life. His fever was at 104. He had a massive headache, and he lost function of the left side of his body. The Center for Disease Control and Infectious Disease doctors are evaluating him.

Day Two: He’s lost his appetite and won’t eat. They give him food intravenously to keep his strength up. He can no longer walk on his own. We don’t tell anyone because we needed to stay focused on our son. His fever is spiking again 103-104, and he’s agitated.

Day Three: My husband spends the night, and when I arrive that morning, he says he needs to talk to me. He tells me I launched the business. I hug him, and I begin to cry. Our son is given some heavy narcotics and is resting peacefully. He has no fever during the day, but it’s back at night. We still haven’t told a family member anything.

Day Four: The doctors want my son to get up and try to walk. He gets up and needs assistance because he is so weak. I buy him food from his favorite fast food place, and he finally eats some solid food. He still had headaches and has to be sedated each night to sleep through the pain.

Day Five: My son gets up on his own and uses the bag rack to move around. He’s still weak and frustrated that he’s not in school. His strength is increasing, and he wants to go home—no fever within 24 hours. We still have not told anyone, except for a few close business associates.

Day Six: The doctor states that if my son walks on his own, he will be free to leave the hospital and will have to follow up with the Infectious disease doctor. We were worried because my son is still weak and can’t keep his balance long enough to walk without assistance.

Day Seven: He walks in front of the nurses for a few seconds,…the longest seconds in my life. He’s cleared to leave, and I take him home. We call family members and inform them of everything.

This is my self-discipline story and here’s why:

I didn’t cry in front of my son while he was in the hospital because he needed smiles.

I didn’t overwhelm my kids and family members because I didn’t need to disrupt their lives with uncertainty.

I was at my weakest point with my son’s condition and my husband’s termination. I didn’t tell a soul because everything I had was making sure my son survived.

I controlled my feelings and overcame my weaknesses.

My husband told an audience of thousands what we had been through at our first company convention a few months later. The company he launched next to our son’s hospital bed would grow to over tens of thousands of independent representatives within a five-year span.

How can you become a more self-discipline person? In Entrepreneur magazine, there’s an article written by Deep Patel called 10 Powerful Ways to Master Self-Discipline.  The ten ways are: Know your weaknesses, Remove temptations, Set Clear Goals and have an execution plan, Build Your Self-Discipline, Create new habits, Eat often and healthy, Change your perception about willpower, Have a backup plan, Reward yourself and lastly, Forgive yourself and move forward.

As for my son, he appreciates your prayers and just celebrated his 24th birthday.

Yours In Prosperity,

Deborah Flemming Bradley