Like many, at times in my life I’ve struggled with the concept of discipline. I mean ‘Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order.’ Does that sound like fun? NO! I was raised in the 60’s, Summer of Love, I wanted to be a free spirit, a rebel, a maverick, cut my own trail, go my own way. I didn’t want anyone telling me what to do. In high school, my personal motto was “I’ll do what I want, when and if I d*** well please.” Fortunately, for my long-suffering dad, I was a book worm and most of my angst was around wanting to wear my hair longer than the archaic, senseless dress code then allowed.
It took me many years for me to understand, to truly, deeply comprehend, the vital distinction between external discipline and internal self-discipline. I wanted freedom, I wanted choices, the power to impact my own destiny. Ironically enough the way to create freedom and to have more choices lay in disciplining myself. Given limited time and energy, to focus on the choices that really mattered, I had to discipline myself to turn away from the distraction of the choices that mattered least. How free could I really be if I lacked control over my actions, my body, my focus and mind?
Truth be told, I’m much more fond of the Power of Attraction, harnessing Visualization and Desire to motivate myself than raw Discipline but self-control, self-regulation, self-restraint have all become important tools in my Life Management Skill Set; excellent ways to foster the habits of success.
Closing Quotes:
“Discipline equals freedom.” – Jocko Willink
“The price of excellence is discipline.” – William Arthur Ward
“A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” – Dalai Lama
“Discipline is choosing between what you want now, and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier