Principles of Success (Day 4: DISCIPLINE)
In the last three days we spoke about the first 3 principles of success as described in "The Rhythm of Life" by Matthew Kelly (more here : day-1-purpose; day-2-priorities; day-3-balance ). Today we delve into the fourth principle: Discipline (Just a small but important note, the term success here can be applied to many areas of life, and ultimately, it's really just about intentionally becoming the best version of yourself.) Principle 4: DISCIPLINE “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.”-Abraham Lincoln “No man is free who is not master of himself.” -Epictetus “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” -Aristotle This one can be rough...In many ways people looking in may think that I'm pretty disciplined in a lot of areras of life...but there are many that I want (or....want to want?) to be more disciplined in and I fall again and again...The easy way out, the distractions, the comfort, the lure of the status quo sometimes still win out.. Stemming from the Latin for "to teach," discipline is training for self-control and character. Benefits of discipline involve better outcomes, stable relationships, and increased well-being. It fills the gap between intention/dreaming and reality. Discipline is...wait for it....discipline is self-respect in action. We want to respect ourselves, don't we? Small repeated choices shape our character and it builds self trust and each small act of discipline is a lil vote towards the person we want to be and over time these votes compound. Compound effect is a real thing! Think about the direction you want that compound effect to go. Pychologically, discipline is closer to self-regulation than self-control and it's more about creating conditions where success is more likely. When we struggle with follow through, it'srarely because of laziness (which sometimes people shame themselves with this type of language) but it's more likely that the nervous system is overwhelmed, dysregulated, or trying to avoid pain.