Patience, Endurance, Discipline: The Three Pillars of Personal Achievement

Summary

Kreatures Of Habit Podcast Summary

Episode Title: Patience, Endurance, Discipline: The Three Pillars of Personal Achievement
Host: Michael Chernow
Release Date: May 26, 2025

---

Introduction

In this compelling solo episode of the Kreatures of Habit podcast, host Michael Chernow delves deep into the foundational habits that have shaped his personal and professional life. Departing from the usual format of guest interviews, Michael shares his own journey, experiences, and the critical habits that have propelled him towards success. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and cultivating specific habits to achieve personal growth and fulfillment.

---

The PEDs: Patience, Endurance, Discipline

At the heart of this episode lies the concept of the PEDs—Patience, Endurance, and Discipline—which Michael identifies as the three pillars underpinning his achievements.

Patience, Endurance, and Discipline are not just abstract concepts for Michael; they are actionable principles that have guided him through decades of personal development, entrepreneurship, and sobriety.

---

1. Patience

Michael begins by highlighting the indispensable role of patience in his life:

[00:01] Speaker A: "Without patience, I might as well chalk my life up to living frustrated with patience."

Patience, for Michael, is about accepting the transient nature of challenges and maintaining hope for the future. He shares how patience has been a cornerstone in his 20-year journey of sobriety and entrepreneurial endeavors.

Key Insights:

• Acceptance: Recognizing that current struggles are temporary and that more opportunities lie ahead.
• Response vs. Reaction: Michael contrasts patience with impulsive reactions. Without patience, he likens himself to a "firecracker," reacting instantly to frustrations without processing emotions, leading to regrets.

[01:30] Michael Chernow: "Without patience, I am like a firecracker. Something happens, Pow. I immediately go off."

By cultivating patience, Michael has learned to take measured responses, allowing him to handle situations thoughtfully rather than impulsively.

---

2. Endurance

Moving on to endurance, Michael underscores its significance in sustained efforts toward long-term goals:

[01:30] Michael Chernow: "Endurance does win. I'm not the smartest guy, I'm not the most creative person. I'm definitely not the fastest or the strongest. But I have committed to endurance because I just know that the vast majority of people end up quitting when it really gets hard."

Key Insights:

• Persistence Over Perfection: Success doesn't require being the best in every aspect but necessitates a commitment to persist when challenges arise.
• Long-Term Commitment: Whether building a business, training for a competition, or maintaining personal relationships, endurance keeps one steadfast in the face of adversity.

Michael reflects on his own experiences, acknowledging that many give up when confronted with difficulties. His dedication to endurance has been a crucial factor in his sustained success and personal growth.

---

3. Discipline

Discipline completes the trio of PEDs, serving as the foundation for freedom and self-control.

[01:30] Michael Chernow: "Discipline equals freedom. And when I read that, a light went off in my head like it's like switched this flip. Like it flipped this switch for me."

Michael references Jocko Willink's influential quote, "Discipline equals freedom," which resonated deeply with him. For Michael, discipline is about consistently adhering to one's commitments, even when it's challenging or inconvenient.

Key Insights:

• Consistency: Discipline fosters reliability in actions and decisions, reinforcing trust in oneself.
• Self-Faith: Maintaining discipline prevents the erosion of self-confidence that comes from failing to follow through on commitments.

By embracing discipline, Michael ensures that his actions align with his goals and values, providing him with the autonomy to navigate life's complexities effectively.

---

Applying the PEDs in Everyday Life

Michael encourages listeners to integrate the PEDs into various aspects of their lives:

1. Patience: Assess whether you are allowing enough time for your efforts to bear fruit. Are you resisting the urge for immediate results?
2. Endurance: Evaluate your commitment to long-term goals. Are you persisting through difficulties, or are you considering giving up prematurely?
3. Discipline: Reflect on your ability to follow through with your intentions. Are you maintaining consistency in your actions, even when it's challenging?

[01:30] Michael Chernow: "Check in with those three things. Am I being patient or do I just want this to happen on my time? Have I put in enough time? Like, am I applying endurance to this insanely hard thing I'm trying to do? Have I spent enough time here before I'm considering throwing in the towel? And then discipline. Do I do what I say I'm going to do?"

By regularly evaluating these three pillars, individuals can identify areas for improvement and reinforce the habits that support their personal and professional aspirations.

---

Conclusion

Michael concludes the episode by reinforcing the transformative power of the PEDs. He emphasizes that life is inherently challenging, but with patience, endurance, and discipline, one can navigate its hurdles more effectively. These habits not only foster personal achievement but also build resilience and self-confidence.

[01:30] Michael Chernow: "This life thing is tough. This life thing is tough, especially if you're swinging hard. I'm right there with you. I check in with the PEDs pretty regularly."

Michael's candid sharing serves as both inspiration and a practical guide for listeners aiming to incorporate these pillars into their own lives. By mastering patience, endurance, and discipline, individuals can pave their paths to sustained success and personal fulfillment.

---

Notable Quotes

• Speaker A [00:01]: "Without patience, I might as well chalk my life up to living frustrated with patience."

• Michael Chernow [00:31]: "What's going on? Podcast Family... Our habits will make us or they will break us."

• Michael Chernow [01:30]: "Discipline equals freedom. And when I read that, a light went off in my head like it's like switched this flip. Like it flipped this switch for me."

• Michael Chernow [01:30]: "This life thing is tough. This life thing is tough, especially if you're swinging hard. I'm right there with you."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of the Kreatures Of Habit podcast offers valuable insights into the crucial habits that drive personal achievement. Michael Chernow's introspective discussion on patience, endurance, and discipline provides listeners with practical tools to assess and enhance their own habits. By sharing his journey and the lessons learned, Michael inspires others to embrace these pillars and commit to their continuous personal growth.

---

Share this episode with someone who could benefit from strengthening their personal habits and embarking on a path of sustained success.

Transcript

[A]

Without patience, I might as well chalk my life up to living frustrated with patience. There is a level of acceptance that gives me hope that what I'm dealing with right now will pass, and there's way more to come.

[B]

What's going on? Podcast Family My name is Michael Chernow, and this is the Creatures of Habit podcast. Our habits will make us or they will break us. I've lived on both sides of the tracks and have experienced some of the best and the worst that habits have in store. The decisions we make on a consistent basis truly define who we are as human beings. This episode will be a solo episode where traditionally I interview guests. This is a solo episode where I share with you guys experiences that I've had, things that are relevant in my life today that I think could potentially be interesting for you to hear, things that I simply just want to share or quotes or activities that I've done over the last few weeks that have inspired me. So sit back, relax, and get out your pen and paper, because what you hear in this podcast could potentially make some big changes in your life.

[A]

Let's go. The PEDs. The PEDs. When we hear PEDs in the world of fitness nutrition, you think of performance enhancing drugs. I have a different spin on the peds. And the peds, for me kind of work similarly to performance enhancing drugs, but it has nothing to do with drugs. Patience, endurance, and discipline. The P E DS Patience, endurance, and discipline. Those are the three things that I can draw a direct line to my success. And when I say success, I mean how I feel about myself currently. That is what I consider success, how I am feeling about myself. So patience has been such an important skill to hone over my career as an entrepreneur, over my time as a husband and a father, patience has been something that I've been cognizant of and have focused on for a long time in my recovery journey. Throughout sobriety, nothing happens overnight that people talk about in a positive way. Greatness takes a very, very long time. And I'm not saying that I have hit this greatness place yet, but I am saying that everything I've done along this journey since I've gotten sober, which has been 20 years, has required patience. Anything successful that I've been able to pull off has required patience. And I'm definitely not a patience expert, but I'm working towards that because what do I know to be true? Without patience, I might as well chalk my life up to living frustrated with patience. There is a level of acceptance that gives me hope that what I'm dealing with right now will pass. And there's way more to come. There is. You know, the way that I have been able to sort of calibrate patients in real time in my life. And again, I'm not perfect, but in my ability to either react or respond to a situation that specifically I don't feel good about. Without patience, I am like a firecracker. Something happens, Pow. I immediately go off. No time, no time to metabolize, no time to think, no time to process. It's just somebody says something I don't like, and boom. I fire back right away. Somebody sends me an email I don't like. Boom. I fired a reaction, a reactionary email right away. My son does something that's really, really frustrating. I immediately reprimand him. My wife says something to me that I don't want to hear that I don't like that is not working in my favor. Boom. I immediately fire back a reaction that I'm not going to be proud of later on in the day. When patience is in my life, I am able to respond. And. And this is like the barometer for me with where I'm at with patients. If something happens that I don't like and I take a breath, I take time. Could be a minute, it could be an hour, it could be a day, it could be a week before I actually respond. That is patience working in my life. I don't need the immediate. I don't need it to be immediate because nothing immediate happens. Nothing great happens immediately just does not. I've never seen that to be true. So the first component of this PED conversation that I'm trying to have with you guys right now is patience. I do believe that patience is required. It is required for success, endurance. You don't have to be the best, you don't have to be the smartest, you don't have to be the strongest. You don't have to be the best looking. You don't have to have the best product. You don't need to offer the best service. But I will tell you that if you are willing to stick around longer than everybody else, you got a good shot. If you commit to just sticking around if there's something that you really believe in. I'm not talking about a bad relationship. I'm not talking about a toxic situation. I'm talking about if you are focused on something that you really believe in and you want to take to fruition and it's just not happening on your time, I promise you, if you just tighten the rope make the commitment to just fight, no matter what, no matter how hard it gets. Endurance does win. Endurance does win. I've shared it about endurance on this podcast before because I feel so passionately about endurance. I'm not the smartest guy, I'm not the most creative person. I'm definitely not the fastest or the strongest. But I have committed to endurance because I just know that the vast majority of people that. I'm not saying this in a negative way, I'm just saying facts. Most people end up quitting when it really gets hard. So if you can just be the person that doesn't quit, that just sticks it out, your chances are just greater. And then lastly, discipline. I read a book years ago from Jocko Willink, and in the book he has this quote, this slogan, discipline equals freedom. And when I read that, a light went off in my head like it's like switched this flip. Like it flipped this switch for me. And I said, that is it. That is it. That is what it has been for me, this disciplined piece of life. And the beauty of discipline, it is arguably one of the most valuable skill sets and character traits. The beauty of it is that it is available for everyone. Anyone. And everyone. And anyone can practice discipline, can practice consistency. Doing it, even though you don't want to, it hurts. Discipline is something that anyone can earn. So those three things, like, if you're like at, you know, you're building a business, you're training for a competition, you're building a family, you're, you're going through a difficult time, I just cue you to remember that acronym ped. Patience, endurance and discipline. Check in with those three things. Am I being patient or do I just want this to happen on my time? Have I put in enough time? Like, am I applying endurance to this insanely hard thing I'm trying to do? Have I spent enough time here before I'm considering throwing in the towel? And then discipline. Do I do what I say I'm going to do? Even if it's not out loud, even if it's to myself. The worst is when you're, when you say you're going to do something to yourself and you actually don't follow through, you begin to lose faith and confidence in yourself. That is the opposite of discipline. So I just wanted to share the PEDs with you. I think it's, you know, it's a very cool, it's a very cool sort of check in moment when things are tough, when things are going hard. Like you could check in with those three things. And if you are not in compliance with them, then you know where you need to work. This life thing is tough. This life thing is tough, especially if you're swinging hard. And I know a lot of you listening to this podcast, a lot of the listeners here are swinging hard. I'm right there with you. I check in with the PEDs pretty regularly. There's very few days that go by in my life that I'm not trudging some mud somewhere. Share this podcast with someone you think would appreciate it. These little, you know, five to ten minute pieces of inspo that I share on Mondays, Monday moments. I love these little podcasts, these little solos. It's just such a great way for me to check in with myself because practice what I preach and share with you things that I think could potentially make an impact in your life. Love y' all till the next one. Peace.