If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my humble life, it’s the importance of discipline and self-control. I’ve also noticed that people don’t pay that much attention to these two things, which are crucial for success.
If you’re one of those people, then today you’ll learn everything you need to know about disciplined life and its connection with successful people!
First of all, let’s start with defining the term ‘discipline’ because every single person understands it differently.
When imagining a disciplined person, the majority of us immediately think of punishment and something forced.
But, the truth is that self-discipline is so much more than that!
There are multiple definitions of discipline out there, and since every single one of them is different, I’ve tried to unite them into the following one:
Discipline is the quality of being able to use reason to determine the best course of action (to behave in a controlled way) regardless of one’s desires.
You’re probably not aware of it, but self-discipline is everywhere around us and it follows us throughout every single day. That is why the importance of self-discipline shouldn’t be neglected!
From the moment you wake up till you go to sleep, your daily routine gives you plenty of tasks that challenge your discipline.
Simply making your bed in the morning or deciding to hit the gym later that day is an example of good discipline that helps you live an easier life.
Mastering discipline is the key factor for a better life, having high levels of self-esteem, and boosting one’s inner strength and here are all the reasons why:
Self-discipline forms a habit
If there’s one thing human beings excel at, it is creating new habits! Now, some habits tend to be bad, while others are more positive, but the bottom line is that we have that potential to form a new habit easily.
“Surprisingly”, unhealthy habits like smoking are more easily and quickly formed than healthy lifestyle habits like exercising. And that is where self-discipline comes into the story!
A few years ago, I had a problem with my health (specifically mental health) and one way to deal with it was to start being active and exercise.
When I think of my “newbie beginnings”, I instantly start laughing at myself because Lord knows, it was hard for me (and anyone just starting) to show up everyday at the gym or go for a run.
But, I did it. I haven’t skipped a single training session ever since (even if it’s raining outside and all I want to do is curl up in bed and fall asleep).
Today I can proudly say that I have formed a habit of hitting the gym regularly and I have never felt better in my life!
This seemingly trivial habit has boosted my performance at work and all my relationships as well (including the one I have with my own self).
So, yes, self-discipline forms a habit and those habits are what improve your daily life to an unimaginable extent.
It helps you remain consistent (and persistent) in life
If you ask me, procrastination and laziness are the two biggest enemies of the 21st century. The truth is, the more advanced technology we have, the lazier we get and the more we focus on looking for instant solutions.
In the long run, this has terrible consequences on both our mental and physical health, so learning discipline is not something we should just consider – it’s a necessity if we want to lead a healthy and happy life!
So, why is discipline important?
Because self-discipline teaches you to remain consistent and persistent in life.
If you’re in college, discipline plays an important role when it comes to studying and a student’s life in general (I know because I’ve been there).
I remember that I literally slapped myself in the face a few times when I felt like laziness was overwhelming me when I was studying for upcoming exams.
Corporal punishment (spanking, slapping, whipping) is a cruel way of learning self-discipline, so this method is still debatable.
The point is, lack of discipline doesn’t only influence school life, but every aspect of our life!
When you master it, you literally become unstoppable. You become committed to finishing everything in time (be it reading books or something else) and you create a consistent habit in your everyday life.
You don’t give up that easily when you’re challenged by those two enemies (procrastination and laziness) because the warrior inside you shuts them up and shows them who’s boss!
A self-disciplined person has an increased focus
In a world of constant distractions (cellphones, social networks), focusing on one thing often seems like mission impossible. You probably already know the drill:
You open a book, (or you start doing something else) and then you get four notifications and two new friend requests. What do you do?
You abort everything (even though you haven’t even started it) and you focus on those notifications and friend request approvals (including chatting a little bit).
When you’re done with that, you see a new ad for a product that you’ve been waiting for (even though it’s probably something totally useless).
Now, what does a self-disciplined person do in this and similar situations?
Simple. They turn off their phone and start doing what they have to because they’re FOCUSED on completing the task and moving on to the next one.
It’s because self-discipline increases one’s ability to focus on that one thing you should be doing at the moment.
See also: Learning To Love Yourself: 10 Important Steps To Unconditional Self-Love
Self-discipline helps you to boost your self-esteem
Do you know that feeling when you get up in the morning and you’re feeling totally lazy and unmotivated?
Making your bed becomes a real struggle, let alone doing something else more productive like cooking or going to work.
Yes, this happens to everyone, but the biggest difference is that a self-disciplined person has the ability to motivate themselves to do things even when they don’t feel like doing them.
So, when they get up in the morning, they will make their bed and do all their other chores and tasks because they know it’s the right thing to do.
When you’re self-disciplined, it feels like you have a little voice in your head telling you to not give up and to keep making an effort throughout the day.
It’s similar to having a personal trainer – the only difference is that this trainer is your mind instead of a real person.
Accomplishing daily tasks and all the other things helps to boost your self-esteem because you know you did something right, and you didn’t give up when it was difficult to continue.
Each accomplished task boosts your confidence to a certain extent and makes you feel more responsible and mature.
It helps you to master anything
Whether it is your job, hobby or something else, one thing is sure: Discipline helps you to master just about anything.
When you realize the importance of discipline in life, your time management improves and you become a person with strong goals.
You devote your time to that one thing you want to become good at and that’s the main ingredient of mastering something. You don’t lose focus and you don’t give up that easily, no matter what.
Multiple times I’ve heard one popular saying among students: It is not smart people who finish college, but the persistent ones.
And I have to say that this is totally true. You could be really good at something and another person might be a newbie but this doesn’t mean that you have a better chance than them.
If that newbie is self-disciplined, the chances are high that they will become a master in no time because they have strong motivation and goals. Believe me, nothing beats that.
It helps you develop a conscious mental attitude
Our everyday life consists of constant communication with various people, completing tasks etc.
Even though we don’t really think about it often, it takes real effort to maintain all those connections and develop a conscious mental attitude.
When you lack self-discipline, it is relatively easy for you to get irritated by something, say something insulting, or to panic.
Self-disciplined people, however, are better at controlling themselves and their reactions because they have a positive attitude.
They know when is the right time to say something or to stay silent, so they are really good at avoiding conflicts and other unpleasant situations.
Do you know that feeling when you want to say what’s on your mind, but you know that it would insult the other person and make them mad?
When you’re disciplined, you don’t give in to temptation because you know you would regret it afterwards.
Instead, you stay collected and do what’s best for both you and other people. You don’t make decisions on impulse, instead you always make sure to think twice before doing or saying something.
Discipline helps you improve your mental health and stay stress-free
If you’re still having difficulties figuring out what the importance of discipline in life is, I can tell you in two words: Your health.
Anxiety, depression, severe panic attacks, and other modern life enemies are becoming real threats to our mental health and they are often connected with a lack of self-discipline.
When you’re not in control of your mind, your mind ends up controlling you.
Self-discipline helps you understand your mental processes better and control your feelings and overall behavior.
For example, when you feel that stress is taking its toll on you, you won’t let it paralyze you. Instead, you’ll start working on finding solutions and remedies for it.
You will go for a walk, meditate, or do something creative. Discipline helps you improve your mental health and makes your personal life, social life, and career stress-free.
We all know that stress is the main cause of many illnesses, so implementing discipline into your life is one of the easiest ways to protect yourself from it.
See also: Holistic Lifestyle: 15 Simple Ways To Live A Healthy, Happy Life
It encourages you to stay active
Disciplined people take care of their mental and physical health, and they are constantly active. They know what is beneficial and harmful for them and they tend to avoid toxic things in life.
Since they have an organized schedule, it is easy for them to stay active throughout the day, which is beneficial for both their body and mind.
They never make excuses like: I don’t have time for it because I have more important things to do. I don’t feel like doing it. I’ll do it tomorrow (even though you know it’s a lie) and so on.
Disciplined people manage to go to work, exercise, socialize, and do all the other things that help them remain healthy and happy.
Self-discipline helps you become the best version of yourself!
Constant improvement is one of the most important things when it comes to success in life. Self-discipline helps you get rid of bad habits and it motivates you to constantly work on yourself.
It helps you understand that you’re not perfect and you never will be, which is totally okay. What matters is that you’re doing your best everyday and never satisfied with mediocrity.
Self-discipline helps you improve every aspect of your life, and as a result it helps you become the best version of yourself!
The importance of discipline should never be underestimated because it is one of the most powerful forces in the world. This inspiring quote by John C. Maxwell confirms it:
“Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.”
See also: Using The Power Of Words Wisely Will Change Your Life
