One of my favourite scenes in any of the James Bond films is one that – I suspect – flies by most people. It is not one of the big fight scenes, or a Spectre based hidden in a hollow volcano or undersea. It is not funny, or dramatic. But it hits me where I live every time. Picture Sean Connery playing James Bond in Goldfinger. Greyt Prince Of Wales check suit, behind the wheel of the iconic Aston Martin DB5 for the first time (before the ejector seat scene) driving through the Alps in the middle of summer. He is overtaken on a sharp bend by a beautiful blonde driving a sports car. His first instinct is to floor the giant beast of an engine that he is driving and give chase. But his mission is to follow Goldfinger from a distance. So he throttles down the car, settles back wriggling those magnificent shoulders of his and purrs “Discipline, 007. Discipline.”
A big factor for wanting more discipline in my life is that – day to day – my work environment can be the most stressful and panic-ridden mess you can imagine. Think about my daily issues. Horny and wealthy men – often high on cocaine – want their women to arrive NOW despite having taken an hour to decide and only choosing a girl five minutes ago. Sexy Las Palmas escorts who think that the world owes them a living and expect you to do whatever they ask instantly, but who do not return your urgent contacts for hours, if ever. Banks do not want to handle perfectly legal money from a legal business that pays taxes. Drivers who get lost no matter how good the directions, are or how often they have been somewhere.
Let alone the competitors that think that if they are going backwards, the way to deal with it is to shout and scream and try to do down the competition through rumours and shit spreading. Instead of doing what real business people do, and focusing on their shit.
So yes, there is the potential for a lot of stress in my day-to-day life if I try to handle everything as it comes instead of being disciplined, planning and being deliberate. Do not chase the pretty girl in the sports car down the mountainside just because she has caught your attention. Stay on the mission. “Discipline, 007. Discipline.”
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