Most people aim to do right; they just fail to pull the trigger. For whatever reason, they just don't have the wherewithal to finish the job. They are lacking discipline.

"Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure," said the late motivational speaker Jim Rohn.

It doesn't matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts or life in general. Hope is not an option. The difference between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.

Bob Knight, college basketball's winningest coach, said: "It has always been my thought that the most important single ingredient to success in athletics or life is discipline. I have many times felt that this word is the most ill-defined in all of our language. My definition of the word is as follows: 1) Do what has to be done; 2) When it has to be done; 3) As well as it can be done; and 4) Do it that way all the time."

Julie Andrews put it a little differently. She said, "Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly."

Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a fantastic pianist, said: "If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days of practice, the critics notice it. If I miss three days of practice, the audience notices."

Discipline is all about sitting down and setting goals, figuring out a schedule to achieve those goals, and then following your plan.

The formula is the same for athletes, business people and students: have a no-nonsense attitude, work hard and improve every day. Arrive early and stay late if that's what it takes to get the job done. I always say to go the extra mile, which is one stretch of the highway where there are seldom any traffic jams. And few people are trying to pass you.

It's the old adage: the more you put in the more you get out.

"You can't get much done in life if you only work on the days when you feel good," said Jerry West, the former Los Angeles Lakers great who was nicknamed "Mr. Clutch."

Health and fitness clubs get very busy at the beginning of each year. New Year's resolutions result in large numbers of people joining, wanting to get fit or lose weight. What happens in February, March and April? The number of people at the club starts to thin out but the well-intentioned folks who lacked discipline didn't thin down.

Good intentions aren't enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or a workout. Suddenly it gets a lot easier to miss again and again and again.

Golfing great Byron Nelson said: "The only way one can become proficient at anything is self-discipline and dedication. The people who succeed are the ones that really do not let personal feelings get in their way from giving their all in whatever they choose to do. The superstar golfers are people who are willing to do and give a little bit more than the others who do not succeed."

The legendary football coach Vince Lombardi maintained: "A player's got to know the basics of the game and how to play his position. Next, you've got to keep him in line."

That's discipline and what every good manager must have. It's not enough as a manager to teach your employees how to do the work. You also have to provide the motivation that keeps them moving forward. Perhaps most importantly, a good manager must model self-discipline.

To me it is better to prepare and prevent instead of repair and repent.

I like the way Jim Rohn described discipline: "It is the bridge between thought and accomplishment ... the glue that binds inspiration to achievement ... the magic that turns financial necessity into the creation of an inspired work of art.

"Discipline is the master key that unlocks the door to wealth and happiness, culture and sophistication, high self-esteem and high accomplishment and the accompanying feelings of pride, satisfaction and success. Discipline will do much for you. More importantly, though, is what it will do to you. It will make you feel terrific about yourself."

Mackay's Moral: If your willpower doesn't work, try your "won't" power.

Harvey Mackay is the author of The New York Times' No. 1 bestseller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." He can be reached through his Web site, www.harveymackay.com, by e-mailing harvey@mackay.com or by writing him at MackayMitchell Envelope Co, 2100 Elm St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414.