It isn't possible to achieve self-discipline without making some progress on those other principles; self discipline requries self-knowledge and an accurate assesssment of your current abilities. Likewise, the other principles can't really be put into action without self-disciples can't really be put into action without self-discipline. It is the channel through which all your personal power for success must flow.
Think of your mind as a reserveoir in which you have been storing up potential power. You will now learn to release that power in precise quantities and specific directions. This is the essence of self-discipline.
Most people act first and think
Self-discipline calls for balancing your emotions with your reasoning. This means you must learn to consult both your fellings and your reason before you reach any decision. Sometimes you will need to set aside（驳回，撤销） your emotions and fllow the dictates of reason alone. Other times you will decide in favor of your emotions, modified by your reson. A happpy medium is imporant.
Consider, for example, those people who are so in love that they will do anything for their beloveds. Thery are putty in the hands of other. They rarely amount to anything because they have no purposes of their own in life.
You might wonder if this danger means that it would be sager and wiser to control your life strictly on the basis of reason and leave emotion out of every decisison. The answer is and emphatic no.
Don't forget, your emotions provide your driving power, the activating force which enables you to put your decisions into action. If you destroyed hope and faith, what would there be to live for? If you killed enthusiasm, loyalty, and desire but still retained reason, what good would reason be? It would still be there to provide direction, but what would it dirct?
You must control and direct your emotions, not abolish（废除） them. Besides, abolition would be animossible task. Emotions are like a river. Theire power can be dammed up and released under control and direction, but is cannot be held forever in check. Sooner or later the dam will burst, unleashing catastrophic destruction.
Your negative emotions can also be controlled and directed. PMA and self-discipline can remove their harmful effects and make them serve constructive purposes. Sometimes fear and anger will inspire intense action. But you must always submit your negative emotions--and you positive ones--to the examination of your reson before releasing the. Emotion without reson is a dreadful enemy.
What faculty provides the crucial balance between emotions and reason? It is your willpower（毅力） , or ego, a subject which will be explored in more detail below. Self-dicipline will teach you to therow your willpower behind either reson or emotion and amplify the intesity of their exprssion.
Both your heart and your mind need a master, and they can find the master in your ego. However, your ego will fill thei role only if you use self-discipline. In the absence of self-dicipline, your mind and heart will fight their battles as they please. In this situation the person within whose mind the fight is carried out often gets badly hurt.
相关单词：dictates
dictates解释：n.命令，规定，要求( dictate的名词复数 )v.大声讲或读( dictate的第三人称单数 )；口授；支配；摆布
dictates例句：
Convention dictates that a minister should resign in such a situation. 依照常规部长在这种情况下应该辞职。 来自《简明英汉词典》
He always follows the dictates of common sense. 他总是按常识行事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：sager
sager解释：adj.贤明的，貌似聪明的( sage的比较级 )
sager例句：
Well, I want those yellow gators that Sager wore a few weeks ago. 好了，我想那些人认为是塞奇几个星期前穿的。 来自互联网
相关单词：strictly
strictly解释：adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地
strictly例句：
His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。
相关单词：emphatic
emphatic解释：adj.强调的，着重的；无可置疑的，明显的
emphatic例句：
Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决，不容有任何人怀疑。
He was emphatic
相关单词：activating
activating解释：活动的，活性的
activating例句：
"I didn't say we'd got to stop activating the masses! “我并没说就此不发动！ 来自子夜部分
Presumably both the very small size and activating influence of fluorine atoms contribute to this exception. 这大概是由于氟原子半径小和活性高这两个原因的影响，氟原子对这种例外做出了贡献。
相关单词：loyalty
loyalty解释：n.忠诚，忠心
loyalty例句：
She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。
His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。
相关单词：abolition
abolition解释：n.废除，取消
abolition例句：
They declared for the abolition of slavery.他们声明赞成废除奴隶制度。
The abolition of the monarchy was part of their price.废除君主制是他们的其中一部分条件。
相关单词：unleashing
unleashing解释：v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的现在分词 )
unleashing例句：
Company logos: making people's life better by unleashing Cummins power. 公司理念：以康明斯动力建设更美好的生活！ 来自互联网
Sooner or later the dam will burst, unleashing catastrophic destruction. 否则堤坝将崩溃，酿成灾难。 来自互联网
相关单词：constructive
constructive解释：adj.建设的，建设性的
constructive例句：
We welcome constructive criticism.我们乐意接受有建设性的批评。
He is beginning to deal with his anger in a constructive way.他开始用建设性的方法处理自己的怒气。
相关单词：faculty
faculty解释：n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员
faculty例句：
He has a great faculty for learning foreign languages.他有学习外语的天赋。
He has the faculty of saying the right thing at the right time.他有在恰当的时候说恰当的话的才智。
相关单词：ego
ego解释：n.自我，自己，自尊
ego例句：
He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。
相关单词：amplify
amplify解释：vt.放大，增强；详述，详加解说
amplify例句：
The new manager wants to amplify the company.新经理想要扩大公司。
Please amplify your remarks by giving us some examples.请举例详述你的话。
