Why Self Discipline Matters

Self-discipline is defined as the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses. It is one of the most useful, important, much needed yet underestimated life skill. Like salt is to food, so is self-discipline for every successful lifestyle. It is that big a deal and I will share exactly why self-discipline matters.

Late last year I was on self discovery journey and I discovered some terrible habits that I knew I had and I was finally ready to accept them. When you realise you want to change things around in life, embarking on a self discovery journey is inevitable. I had to do a thorough assessment of my habits; what drives me, why I lacked inspiration and what steps am I taking towards my goals. The answers were tough and ugly and I humbly took them all in. It was then time to give myself some tough love.

It was apparent, I was extremely relaxed (read lazy, I’m trying to save face), no enthusiasm, drive or fire. I was always mindlessly scrolling through social media and when I’d sit down to actually do something, I found myself staring blankly at my laptop. I almost cried and that’s when it hit me that I have been in this phase for a good number of months. 

Don’t know why it just hit me like that but I am glad it did and it became my first baby step at getting out of the rut. Sometimes the universe just sends you a sign and I am glad I was alert because it was the alarm that woke me. The struggle was real and the temptations were all around me. It was tough, but it had to be tackled.

So why does it matter? Firstly, lack of self discipline and drive caused all the negative energy. I was demotivated, feeling unaccomplished and unhappy. When such feelings grow in us we tend to accuse the universe yet it is all within our own control. We possess the ability to change things within us. We almost always forget this fact. 

Setting myself up to get out of the rut was a journey, it doesn’t work like a switch. We gradually bloom into an evolved version of ourselves. Any quick fix is a scam. Like in nature, as humans we too have to go through seasons in order to bloom.Overcoming laziness and procrastination, breaking the chain is a powerful phase of evolving. When self discipline is a tool and not a task, there’s no room for bad habits. Your guess is right, I got off the lazy train. Although I have to confess I use discipline as a tool and do take some days being lazy because sometimes we also need the breaks to refresh normal programming 😉

Secondly, I reminded myself of my goals and ambitions. I held myself as I went through past written notes and some saved documents that served as a vault for all my ideas. If you write or save stuff you know the feeling of going back down that lane. There is a jolt that runs through you. I know I felt like “who does she think she is?” And then a little voice in me said, “I can, I want to and I will”. That’s it! I was sold.

Self discipline was the tool I was going to need if I wanted to achieve any one of my goals. I became greedy and wanted to do it all. The promises you make to yourself force you to become a better version in order to achieve them. Why? Because overtime you look in the mirror you face questions and that is not appealing at all. When I look in the mirror I want to tell myself I am trying and I do that every day. It is a serene calmness, it is inner strength that gets fuelled. It is pure bliss. Give yourself a try, you’ll fall in love with every process of this journey. 

Thirdly, self discipline rewires ours mindset in such a strong way that we automatically make healthier and wiser choices. With your mind actively charged to do better, good habits are a routine there is no way you will make any decision to disrupt your rhythm. A healthy lifestyle in tune with your mind and soul rarely gets disturbed. 

There you go friends self discipline is crucial part of life, I'll leave you with a wonderful quote.