Mastering the Skill of Discipline
Proverbs 15:32- Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds direction gains understanding.
When it comes to fitness success or achievement in any endeavor, discipline is often sited as a necessary character trait. Many people who struggle attribute their lack of progress to the belief that they simply lack discipline; however, is this actually true? What is discipline anyway, and how can we harness it for self-development in our own lives? Many people quickly assume that I must have some super-human level of discipline to be able to get and stay fit. I would argue that this is not true. Today I’ll share what I’ve learned about discipline, how it’s built and maintained, and the strategies I use to ensure that progress is made toward any goal that I set.
First of all, it’s useful to establish a meaning for the word “discipline.” The oxford dictionary defines discipline as “the practice of training people to obey rules and orders”. So what does this mean? Let’s break it down. Discipline is a practice. For something to be a practice it must be intentional either consciously or subconsciously. This implies habit or ritual i.e. repeated deliberate ACTION. Let’s take a look at the next part: training people. Training is the development of a skill to a desired level of competency. Discipline is about achieving a level of proficiency for maintaining the favored repeated action. The word “people” here is also important. It is human nature to resist change even if you perceive that the change is good for you. Discipline is a special requirement for people because nature does not need to be trained to do what is good for it. The squirrel does not need to develop the discipline to store nuts. The birds do not require coaching to fly south for the winter. Human beings are unique in that we have the free will and choice to use, manipulate, or even reject what nature provides for us and we make these choices each day. It is our nature to resist rules and order which is the last piece. The rules and orders are what we tend to describe as “good" habits”. A conscious effort must be made to break our negative patterns and bad habits thus training is required to build discipline.
I think of discipline as a muscle that needs to be worked just like any other. It functions just like fitness training in that you have a desired outcome (like increased muscle and strength), and the way to achieve the outcome is regular sessions of reps and sets. Instead of using physical energy you expend mental energy. In this analogy you can think of action being the weights or load, and your time is the gym. Complex more time-consuming actions are like a hard workout set. Simple quick tasks are like a light set. The exercise of discipline may feel uncomfortable but sticking with it allows you to adapt and improve. The improvements enable you to take on bigger, more time-consuming tasks so that you are more effective and accomplish more. What others call discipline you would come to know as the ability to take action consistently. In time you will be able to do much more than you ever thought you were capable of, but you must get in the reps.
Finally let’s talk about some of the tools I use for getting things done that you may also find useful. First and foremost I try to always be honest and self-aware. The mind is always playing tricks, coming up with creative excuses, and getting distracted. In order for me to complete any task I must be thoroughly convinced that the task is worth completing. There can be no doubt here. Once I am sold on the importance, I make a plan. For me it is helpful to break the activity into small steps that I can act on immediately and I document them in a daily planner to be checked off upon completion. I try not to allow myself the opportunity to procrastinate. My personal rule is to JUST START. If I feel like stopping then I just stop, but I also must admit that the activity is not a real priority to me otherwise I would continue. Stopping is optional but starting is not. Not unlike writing these words or recording the video, I often find that once I start it’s easy to keep going. I’ll address follow-through and finish in a future post. But for now I will just say start and keep going until you feel compelled to stop.
The last thing I want to speak on is resilience. It is powerful to define the success of your day by the completion of your tasks, but I do not use the same ruler to measure self-worth. To say it another way, to fail in the day does not make you a failure. As I mentioned before this is a practice that takes time and reps and very few if any of us will perfect it. Do not get too down on yourself and do not give up. Look to the next day as an opportunity to improve. As a coach I’m here to provide those opportunities, feedback, and encouragement. When you seek coaching you are seeking structure and discipline. That is the goal. You CANNOT fail as you are being coached due to a lack of discipline because discipline is the desired outcome; not a pre-requisite. The only requirement is for you to show up! Proverbs 14:23 reads All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. The only way your coaching can fail is if you make the decision that you do not WANT the discipline. This is a choice and it speaks to what you believe about yourself. Either you deserve it or you don’t. Either you are serious or you are not. Again, those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds direction gains understanding.
- Chris