A Reflection on the Appreciation of Discipline

I was talking with an advisor yesterday and he quoted Kevin O'Leary when he reminises on how his step father would ask him, "What are you going to do to be who you want to be?" It's a twist on the old, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" It reminded me of the words of my own father when I would ask how you he kept up his daily reading and prayer schedule. He replied with, "Patrick, it's all in how you train your body." I would admit that my conversation challenged me to apply some discipline to some financial practices.
Then this morning I was struck by the abruptness of Psalm 94. It begins in such a harsh, almost repugnant tone. "O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance shine forth!" I was caught by the fierceness of these words. Definitely not a "Love Wins" understanding of God. He is a judge that exacts justice and perfect vengeance on the wicked. It is most definitely a psalm calling out to God to judge those who are wicked, those who measure out injustice upon injustice. In the midst of this psalm are four verses which also awakened me. There is punishment for the wicked, but there is discipline for those whom the LORD loves. And blessed is the one who recognizes the discipline of the the LORD.
There is such benefit in discipline. I can do just about anything I want. But, is what I'm doing leading to what God desires for me to be? Discipline actually focuses my attention to do the things that are necessary. The hard things and the good things. Sometimes that discipline needs to come externally and be pressed upon me. More and more my desire is that the discipline comes as my desire for God and his purposes grows. I used to lament about the fact that slowly my bucket list in life was getting shorter and shorter, not because I was so adventurous and successful, but because life was moving on and opportunities were passing me by. I'm starting to think that the bucket list mentality with the "you can do anything you set your mind to" mentality is perhaps missing the point. There is perhaps a greater goal which challenges you to eliminate the distractions to only seek those things which help to achieve the goal.
I need to learn to be more ruthless with my resources and not wish I could do anything, but do what I know I need to do.