The Pain of Discipline or the Pain of Regret?

According to Jim Rohn, a master speaker and author, there are 2 major pains in life: the pain of discipline and the pain of regret.
 
There have been many days where it is well past 9:00 in the evening by the time I get around to exercising. There was a time when by that hour of the day, I would just crash on the couch and say "Maybe tomorrow."
 
There are many mornings when the alarm goes off at 6AM and my bed feels so warm and cozy that the last thing I want to do is get up and read. 
 
There are times when the phone seems to weigh a ton and I am feeling tired or down or just plain lazy and it takes effort to pick it up anyways and make the calls I need to.
 
That is the pain of discipline. I have found over the years that the momentary pain of doing what I don't want to do far outweighs the pain of regret. Choosing to let myself off the hook in that moment ultimately leads to feelings of "I should have done this. I wish I'd just done that..."
 
Once you get through the initial pain of discipline, there is great joy that comes. As much as there are mornings that I would rather sleep for another hour, I know that when I get up and spend that time preparing for my day, it pays off in so many ways. As much as I'd rather just plop down on the couch and not exercise because I'm too tired, I know that pushing through that gives me more energy in the long run. And as much as I'd rather sit there watching Oprah everyday eating bonbons, I know that the effort put into picking up the phone will move me towards my goals and give me long-term fulfillment.
 
It is a decision that we can each make today. Right now. Don't worry about what you didn't accomplish yesterday. Don't worry about the regrets of the past. Move forward. Commit to the actions needed to get you where you want to be. Realize that ultimately the pain of discipline brings with it long-lasting happiness and fulfillment. The pain of regret just brings more regret.

Look at the day ahead of you and think of one thing that you will commit to doing - one thing that you will be disciplined about no matter what. You will find that by accomplishing that one task, you will gain inner strength to do it again and more!