3 Benefits of Discipline
Discipline is a word that is often heard with a negative connotation.
We hear the word “discipline” and think: rigid, strict, imprisoned, locked up, no freedom. And then we’re quick to wave if off because we think discipline will lead to an unfulfilled life.
Yet history, and even our present day reality, proves to us time and time again that the most successful people in this world always joined themselves to discipline.
Michael Jordan, one of the greatest athletes of all time, was cut from his high school basketball team. He then spent every waking moment during his summer vacation working on his game. And the rest is history.
That’s discipline.
Jim Rohn, one of the greatest entrepreneurs and motivational speakers of all time said: “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”
Prov 25:28 says, “A man without discipline is like a city broken into and left without walls.”
Without discipline, unwanted habits break into your life. Unwanted behaviors break into your life. and unwanted thought patterns break into your life. And that’s when we get the unwanted scale weight, the unwanted dress size, or the unwanted debt.
Sure, you didn’t intend for any of that to happen, but you didn’t intend for it NOT to happen, because you weren’t disciplined.
Without discipline, you only allow unwanted habits to break into your life and to degrade your life. It’s the default setting we will fall into when we don’t have discipline in place.
So you can give into the false idea that discipline is robs you fulfillment, and then continue to allow unwanted habits to break into your life. Or you can take a page from the book of successful people, and join yourself to discipline like they did, and go on to succeed like they did.
And it’s my desire that you would choose the latter.
Here are 3 powerful benefits of discipline.
1. Discipline = Freedom
While Discipline and Freedom seem like they sit on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are actually two sides of the same coin.
You cannot have freedom without discipline. And you cannot be disciplined without being rewarded with freedom.
Freedom is what everyone wants, but the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline.
If you want financial freedom, you have to have financial discipline. If you want time freedom, you have to have disciplined time management. If you want health freedom, you have to have a disciplined health routine.
This also means that you’ll have to have the discipline to say “No” at times. To say no to things that eat up your time like YouTube, Netflix, Facebook, and events that you agree to attend when you know you don’t even want to be there. I believe many of us have to learn to be okay with the fact that sometimes saying “No” means trading popularity for respect.
American author, Frank Herbert says: “Seek freedom and you’ll become a captive to your desires. But seek discipline and you’ll also find freedom.”
Those who fall under the false idea of freedom, are actually living in captivity to their desires. They live in captivity to their emotions, how they’re feeling in the moment, and whether they’re in the right mood.
Yes, emotions can be great indicators, but they’re terrible dictators. And those who live in captivity to their emotions are often living chaotically, not harmoniously. That doesn’t mean that the totality of their life is chaotic. It just means that particular area of life is being lived chaotically.
For example:
The person carrying too much weight, most likely arrived there from eating chaotically. Or the person with an incredibly large debt, most likely arrived there because they were chaotic with their spending. Or the person who wrestles with insecurity and social challenges, often do so due to chaotic thoughts, overthinking, etc.
On the flip side of that:
Those living in great health and shape, arrived there due to a disciplined healthy lifestyle. And because of that, they have freedom to run around with the kids, climb mountains, and enjoy adventures.
Those living in abundance – without debt – arrived there due to financial discipline, spending within their means, and implementing delayed gratification. And because of that, they have the freedom, options, and increased choices in life, of what to do with that money.
And then there are those who walk in peace, confidence, integrity, etc. They often do so because they discipline their thoughts and what they allow into their mind space. And because of that, they have freedom to help others come to that same place of peace and confidence.
You can’t save another from drowning if you are drowning yourself. So the idea is to get free yourself, so that you can help others to get free. And the way we get to freedom is through discipline.
Discipline equals freedom, and applies to every aspect of life. If you want more freedom, get more disciplined.
5 practical disciplines to consider now:
- Have a schedule
- Get up early
- Make your bed – “If you want change the world, make your bed.”
- Dress well – present yourself well, set a standard.
- Exercise
2. Discipline promotes growth
Growth is not automatic.
Few things in life, especially the important things, happen by accident. Instead they require deliberateness, intentionality, and discipline.
Discipline is the springboard to all growth. It’s the engine that keeps the wheels to growth churning. Motivation may get you going, but discipline keeps you growing, and going.
Perhaps the most important benefit of discipline is the personal benefit that you receive.
Every act of discipline increases your esteem. It gives you a feeling of personal power and accomplishment. Each time you discipline yourself, you feel better about yourself.
Jim Rohn says, “One discipline always leads to another.”
It creates a ripple effect that look like this:
As you continue to discipline yourself, you achieve more in life.
As you achieve more in life, you feel more like a winner.
The more you feel like a winner, your confidence goes up.
The more your confidence goes up, the happier you are about yourself.
The happier you are about yourself, the more you get done.
The more you get done, the more you respect and esteem you earn from people around you.
The more respect you earn, the more promotions and money you get paid.
The more you get paid, the more choices you have to live: nicer house, more resources to support others, communities, the poor and less fortunate, etc.
And the more you get to do those things, the more natural high you’ll get to live on because of the thrill of these achievements.
And it all started from one act of discipline.
Every act of discipline strengthens every other discipline in your life. Every weakness of discipline weakens every other disciplines as well.
When you make a habit of disciplining yourself in the little things – getting up early, making your bed, flossing your teeth, etc – you’ll soon be able to discipline yourself to accomplish even bigger things in life.
Your entire life is an on-going battle between doing what is “right and necessary” versus what is “fun and easy.”
Many choose the fun and easy, thinking that the right and necessary is too hard, only to find that they later have to undo a lot of the mess that fun and easy can create. In other words, it too was hard.
So really the question is: Which hard do you want? Choose your hard.
Personal growth is the fruit of discipline. It’s the sense of dignity that grows from the ability to make disciplined choices in life.
3. Discipline Makes you Unstoppable
This is a natural occurrence from the first two benefits above.
When you’ve tasted the fruit of freedom that discipline yields, it creates a hunger in you for more. And when you’ve experienced the reward of growth that discipline breeds, it creates a new standard of living and resilience in you.
Together, these two characteristics – hunger and resilience – create a fierce engine in you, and fiery grit that cannot be easily stopped.
It makes you unstoppable.
Muhammad Ali said, “I hated every minute of training, but I said, “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.”
He was hungry, resilient – he was unstoppable.
Nelson Mandela once said, “Running taught me that I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with discipline. And I applied it to everything I did.” And we all know the impact of his life – he was unstoppable.
What I also love about Mandela’s comment, is that you don’t have to be the most naturally talented. Like Mandela, you may lack natural aptitude and ability in an area. But if you apply discipline to that area, then like Mandela, you too can impact the world – you’ll be unstoppable.
Discipline yourself, and nothing can stop you.
Conclusion
Discipline is the gateway to freedom. It’s the engine to growt and the drive that makes you unstoppable. Discipline is the trait that every successful person, past and present, joined themselves to in order to succeed.
Take a page from their books, apply it today, and watch your life grow from strength to strength.
Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.
