Have I got the discipline to become an Asian soccer star?

Do you have the discipline to become an Asian soccer star and play professional soccer?

That's what my dad asked me this morning, and I had to really think about what he was saying. He wasn't telling me off or anything, only preparing me for the hard work and sacrifices I will have to make in the future.

After all, i'm only 13 years old and most kids my age are out enjoying themselves (not that i'm not enjoying myself) without having to think about training, eating the right food, making sure their drinking enough, getting enough rest for recovery and everything else that goes along with preparing to play professional soccer.

Dad explained that becoming a soccer star is tough, and becoming an Asian soccer star is going to be really, really tough. But if I want to follow my dream, I have to work harder and smarter than ever before.

He also explained that life is tough, and everything i'm learning now will help me in the future.

Once we really know that life is tough - once we understand and accept it - then life is no longer tough. Because the moment our mind accepts that life is tough, we're not fighting it any more and it doesn't matter.

I really had to think about this for a while and get dad to go through it a couple of times before I got the full meaning.

So how does it relate to my dream of becoming an Asian soccer star?

Well like life, becoming an Asian soccer star playing professional soccer is going to be tough. And most parents and kids (including me) don't accept that until it's too late.

Instead they moan and whinge about all the problems and things going against them: "there aren't any opportunities for Asian kids"; "the coach doesn't spend enough time with me"; "scouts don't come to our games"; "i'm always on the substitute bench"; and all sorts of other problems.

I know this is true because i've done my share of moaning in the past.

But the really cool thing is that there is something we can do about it.

Dad went on to explain that discipline is the one thing that we need to solve our problems - in life and in soccer. Without discipline we can't really do anything worthwhile.

I now know, for me to achieve my dream I have to have the discipline to: do things straight away and not put them off until tomorrow; get to sleep on time and wake up fresh and ready to go; always train like I was at a soccer academy trial; practise my skills when not training; solve any problems that come my way; stop moaning and whingeing; make sure I eat properly; do my mental develpment exercise; do all  my home-education modules and fully understand them.

And these are just some of the areas, but I know I can do it one step at a time.

What do you need to have discipline in?