Composure and Self Possession

 November 11, 2025

Hello!  How is each and every one?  Thank you, Lord of all Creation, for your ever provident care of your beloved children.  We prayed like crazy, I did, every time persons around me break news about the typhoon, I pray, my default is to pray and to trust in the Lord as He always knows best. I will not hesitate to say that while they watched Korean film, I prayed a rosary of memorares at the same time on the same night the siren alarmed its warning. Then came the news applauding the Sierra Madre for breaking the typhoon.  God has His ways.  That is why wisdom tells us to always trust in Divine Providence. ‘Waste’ your words in prayer and not in complaints and lamentations after attending to all the precautionary measures manageable.

Following is the excerpt that concludes this super important superhabit of self-discipline (From  SUPERHABITS, The Universal System for a Successful Life by Andrew V. Abela, PH.D., Dean, Busch School of Business, The Catholic University of America, 2024)

SELF-DISCIPLINE

The fifteen superhabits that we just reviewed collectively add up to the superhabit of Self-Discipline.  If you have been trying to grow in Self-Discipline and finding it hard, you now know why:  it is hard.  To grow in Self-Discipline requires growing in Restraint, Humility, Diligence, Gentlefirmness, Forgiveness, Orderliness, Eutrapelia, Gravitas, Suppleness, Modesty, Abstemiousness, Sobriety, Chasteness, Thrift and Contentment. Trying to grow in Self-Discipline directly is trying to do all of this all at once!  Don’t do that.  If you focus on just one superhabit at a time, you will actually make more progress, instead of getting frustrated.

I am realizing now that in the past seven years after the wuhan virus broke out, I was being formed by my sanctifier, the Holy Spirit, in this superhabit of self discipline. Around every person in this modern times are enablers as well as the uto-uto, the gullible easily fooled without critical thought or without common sense people. It is so prevalent among a certain generation.  Hence, the horizon was open for growth in each of the superhabits of Restraint, Humility, Diligence, Gentlefirmness, Forgiveness, Orderliness, Eutrapelia, Gravitas, Suppleness, Modesty, Abstemiousness, Sobriety, Chasteness, Thrift and Contentment.   The superhabit you lack is challenged and the superhabit you already have is strengthened, some are sustained with confidence, and others are confirmed even more. 

St Josemaria teaches in Furrow 126:  To be faithful to God requires a constant battle. Hand-to-hand combat, man to man —the old man against the man of God —in one small thing after another, without giving in.

Furrow, 127:  The test, I don’t deny it, proves to be very hard: you have to go uphill, “against the grain”.

—What is my advice? That you must say: omnia in bonum, everything that happens, “everything that happens to me”, is for my own good… Therefore do accept what seems so hard to you, as a sweet and pleasant reality.

Furrow, 128:  Nowadays it is not enough for men and women to be good. Moreover, it is not good enough to be satisfied with being nearly… good. It is necessary to be ‘revolutionary’.

Faced by hedonism, faced by the pagan and materialistic wares that we are being offered, Christ wants objectors! —rebels of Love!

Furrow, 131: What eagerness many show for reform!

Would it not be better for us all to reform ourselves, each one of us, so as to fulfill faithfully what is laid down?

The Way,380:  'And in a paganised or pagan environment when my life clashes with its surroundings, won't my naturalness seem artificial?' you ask me.

And I reply: Undoubtedly your life will clash with theirs; and that contrast —faith confirmed by works! —is exactly the naturalness I ask of you.

Managing our desires, one kind at a time, is the key to growth in Self-Discipline.  For example, the men and women who participate in the Everglades Challenge exhibit many of the superhabits of Self-Discipline we have just discussed:  Restraint, in limiting other activities to make spacefor their extensive preparation and practice;

Humility, in knowing their strengths and weaknesses, and knowing  when to forge ahead and when to remain safely on shore; 

Diligence, in their planning and researching currents and tides, possible camping sites, and alternate routes; 

and Suppleness – just watch Sandy bottom paddling her kayak, and you’ll see a vision of elegance and power in each stroke that is rarely matched.

TW 815:  “Do you really want to be a saint? Carry out the little duty of each moment: do what you ought and concentrate on what you are doing” (St Josemaria).

Yet Self-Discipline alone is not enough to get you through the Everglades Challenge, or through life.  Recall that in addition to the feelings that attract us to things, our desires, we also have feelings that repel us from things:  our fears. Fortunately, there’s a superhabit for that too.  The superhabit of Courage does not eliminate fear – nothing can do that.  What it does is it keeps us moving forward despite our fears, and shows us how to turn our fears into productive energy.

Guess what, I asked Google why self-discipline images go with a clock beside it.  The answer is as follows:

The alarm clock is associated with self-discipline because the act of getting up on time, despite the desire to stay in bed, is seen as the first test of willpower and a foundational habit that sets the tone for the entire day. 

This association is rooted in several psychological and practical ideas: 

·         A Daily Test of Willpower: The moment the alarm goes off presents an immediate choice: yield to comfort (hitting snooze) or exercise self-control (getting up). Successfully choosing the latter provides an initial "win" for the day, which builds momentum and makes it easier to make disciplined choices later on.

·         Setting the Tone: Mastering the morning routine, starting with getting out of bed promptly, creates a psychological foundation for a productive and intentional day. It signals to the brain, "I run my life, not the other way around".

·         Habit Formation: Consistently responding to the alarm at the same time every day helps establish a regular sleep schedule and a robust circadian rhythm, eventually reducing the reliance on sheer willpower or even the alarm itself.

·         Integrity and Commitment: Self-discipline is about maintaining integrity with your own personal promises. By committing the night before to wake up at a specific time and following through when the alarm rings, you build trust in yourself and your ability to meet goals.

·         Avoiding Procrastination: Hitting the snooze button is a form of procrastination, a lack of self-discipline that can translate into other areas of life. Forcing yourself to get up immediately helps to curb this tendency. 

I have learned to turn to the use of the alarm clock not only to wake me up on time according to my calculation for me to make it on time for my first activity after waking up.  I have caught myself oftentimes short changing Our Lord especially in our appointed time for prayer and its duration, likewise with the ten minutes thanksgiving time after Mass, same with my spiritual reading.  It has given me serenity and peace not having to get distracted with the time and being able to temper my restlessness and impatience.

Regarding presence of God, St. Josemaria has advised the use of human devices which he refers to as “They’re “alarm clocks” in ordinary life, like the chime of your phone with a reminder, letting you know that God is there waiting for you.”  He compared these reminders to crutches:  they’re good supports when we need help to keep walking. C.S. Lewis wrote, “We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God.  The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.”  When we remember God’s presence and turn to Him through the day, our lives are filled with more and more peace and joy.

St. Josemaría Escrivá encouraged the use of human devices, such as an alarm clock, viewing them as tools that can serve as a "gentle alarm clock" in the spiritual life to remind us of God's presence and help us grow in virtue. He did not see them as an impediment to spirituality, but as a means to achieve holiness in ordinary life. 

The "Heroic Minute"

A key application of the alarm clock in his teaching relates to the "Heroic Minute," the practice of getting up immediately when the alarm goes off: 

·         Conquering oneself: He wrote in The Way, "Conquer yourself each day from the very first moment, getting up on the dot, at a set time, without granting a single minute to laziness. If, with the help of God, you conquer yourself in that moment, you'll have accomplished a great deal for the rest of the day".

·         Strengthening the will: He saw this immediate act of obedience to the alarm as a small, daily act of mortification that "strengthens your will and does not weaken your body".

·         A supernatural thought: When the alarm rings, the recommended response is a "supernatural thought" – such as making the morning offering – and getting straight up, making the beginning of the day a conscious, God-centered decision. 

"Human Devices" as Reminders of God

Beyond the alarm clock, St. Josemaría applied the concept of "human devices" more broadly: 

·         Prompts for prayer: He suggested using various everyday objects or events as prompts to lift one's mind and heart to God throughout the day. For example, placing a picture of Our Lady on a desk, in a room, or in a wallet, and looking at it to turn one's tasks into a "loving dialogue with God".

·         Finding God in daily life: His central message was that work, family life, and all ordinary events are opportunities for drawing closer to Christ. Human devices, like the chime of a phone reminder, fit within this framework as modern "alarm clocks" reminding us that God is waiting for us everywhere. 

Ultimately, for St. Josemaría, the value of any human device lies in how it helps a person to be more intentional about living in God's presence and using their time well, which he considered a "treasure from God". 

 Last but surely not the least I regard self-discipline as the virtue that proves the right sense of self love and self respect; The right way one shows her love language not only towards God, but also towards others and oneself.

With all the above ideas and challenges I am certain you will be enthusiastic to talk to God about them in the quiet moments of your conversation with Him?  You and I need His help and support in our struggle to acquire the superhabits of which He is the absolute.

See you in the next post, “May tomorrow be a perfect day; may you find love and laughter along the way; may God keep you in his tender care; ‘til He brings us together again.”

Affectionately,                    

Guadalupinky