Discipline

What if practicing a discipline actually helps you rather than simply being a hassle?

Discipline-- that’s a pretty overloaded word. If you do something wrong, you’re often headed for some disciplinary action. The vice principal in your school was probably a stern disciplinarian.

Looking at another context for the idea of discipline: when you hear about athletes or artists that are at the top of the game, you often hear about how “disciplined” they are and how hard they’ve worked to get where they are.

Used as a noun, a discipline is something you do every day—whether you feel like it or not. “Going to the gym” or meditating regularly are often called disciplines.

What deters you from starting a discipline? Is it fear of pain? Losing time?

Take a moment and think about how you might benefit from having a discipline. Developing a practice or a discipline is valuable because it lets your ego know who’s boss.

If you can get up out of bed and run a few miles even though it’s 20 degrees Fahrenheit outside, who’s the boss then? If you can get up in the morning and sit still for a half hour, even though there’s a huge to-do list hanging over your when, who’s the boss then?

By being disciplined in one or two areas, you’ll find yourself being more centered in other areas. By being disciplined you’ll find yourself grasping the moment between stimulus and response and having many more choices. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

Discipline is a good way to show your ego who's boss!