The Importance of Discipline

 What is discipline? When most people hear the word they immediately envision punishment or some type of restraint and per one definition in Merriam-Webster they would be right. Webster defines discipline as control that is gained by requiring rules or orders to be obeyed and punishing bad behavior. This is not the intended meaning and in this case I prefer the Wikipedia definition which states: Discipline is when one uses reason to determine the best course of action regardless of one's desires.

In the book, Extreme Ownership, written Navy SEALS Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, they discuss the dichotomy that discipline equals freedom. Jocko writes, “Discipline starts every day when the first alarm goes off in the morning. I say ‘first alarm clock’ because I have three, as I was taught by one of the most feared and respected instructors in SEAL training: one electric, one battery, one windup. That way, there is no excuse for not getting out of bed, especially with all that rest on that decisive moment. The moment the alarm goes off is the first test; it sets the tone for the rest of the day. The test is not a complex one: when the alarm goes off, do you get up out of bed, or do you lie there in comfort and fall back to sleep? If you have the discipline to get out of bed, you win—you pass the test. If you are mentally weak for that moment and you let that weakness keep you in bed, you fail. Though it seems small, that weakness translates to more significant decisions. But if you exercise discipline, that too translates to more substantial elements of your life.”

Discipline provides people with rules to live their lives efficiently and effectively. When you have discipline in your life you can make small sacrifices in the present for a better life in the future. Discipline creates habits, habits make routines, and routines become who you are daily. The great mental conditioning coach Brian Cain states, “Today + Today + Today = Your Life”. The habits and daily disciplines you create will eventually determine who you become.

Michael Beckwith writes in his book Spiritual Liberation that, “The gift of self-discipline is that it has the power to take you beyond the reasoning of temporary emotion to freedom. Think of how empowered you’ve felt on occasions when you haven’t given in to the ‘I don’t feel like it’ syndrome and honored your commitment to yourself. What does not feeling like it have to do with it? The combination of love for something with the willingness to do what it takes to practice it—discipline—results in freedom.”

Like a muscle, discipline can be trained. The more you work on your discipline the stronger it becomes. You see this in sports all the time, the more disciplined team ends up beating the undisciplined team with greater talent. Disciplined teams are able to see the big picture and use restraint during adversity. Teams who aren’t as disciplined lose their cool and end up costing themselves a shot. This discipline was developed through hours of training, holding one another accountable, and doing things that others aren’t willing to do.

Credits: https://www.performancecourse.com/blog/2017/06/the-importance-of-discipline#:~:text=Discipline%20provides%20people%20with%20rules,become%20who%20you%20are%20daily.