has story of Jimmer Fredette's contract

“There are two pains in life.  The pain of discipline and the pain of regret.  Take your choice.” 

Need willpower to work on something difficult? Ask yourself when you need that willpower the most. ... Create an established time to second-guess yourself, a time when you know your commitment won't be weakened by the temptations of the moment.

Self-esteem has gone up in the United States; achievement has not. If anything, compared with other countries, we have done worse, but our kids feel really good about themselves on average. What seems particularly interesting, and there is an article by J. P. Tangney on this, is that there is an uncoupling between your perception of your own competence and how much you like yourself. Many American kids, particularly in the last couple of decades, can feel really good about themselves without actually being good at anything. This is the problem with the “self-esteem at all costs” message. Self-esteem should be earned.

The five parts of self discipline examined