Whatever Happened To Discipline?

To borrow an observation from my 92-year-old mother, "It's funny the things we remember."  This morning I recalled two books I read four and five decades ago. One was called The Disciplined Life, by Richard S. Taylor. The subtitle for this book is The Mark of Christian Maturity. You don't have to be a Christian to resonate with many of the messages in this book. Though written to help Christians reach their full potential, Taylor's observations and advice apply across the board. 

Lack of discipline has many negative consequences in our relationship and in our work lives. Over-reacting to tense situations or criticism has cost more than a few people their jobs. Erractic (undisciplined) emotions can interfere with one's productivity. Tardiness is often due to lack of discipline with one's time. 

The second book is John Hersey's Too Far To Walk. This is a lesser known book by the author of Hiroshima, Hersey's powerful study of the aftereffects of the first atomic bomb. Too Far To Walk is a 1966 novel about the turbulence of the Sixties. The main character is John Fist, who one day decides to skip a class because it is across campus and too far to walk. The novel details his slide into lack of motivation and self-indulgence. 

The benefits of living a disciplined life are many. Do you want to be happy? Change your behavior and you won't have to beat yourself up all the time for your follies.

Here are some of the other advantages of living a disciplined life.

1. Increased productivity: When you follow a routine and discipline yourself to stick to it, you are more likely to get things done efficiently and effectively. You'll waste less time and have a clearer sense of purpose and direction. Procrastination is the enemy of productivity. We put off doing what isn't "fun" and get less done, because things like getting up in the morning or doing taxes aren't always that exciting.
2. Improved health and well-being: Increased productivity rewards us with a feeling of accomplishment which can boost your self-esteem and confidence. When you feel good you have more of a spring in your step and it lifts those around us as well. Discipline can help you develop healthy habits, such as regular exercise and a balanced diet. It can also help you avoid unhealthy behaviors like excessive drinking or smoking.
3. Greater self-control: Living a disciplined life can help you resist temptations and make better choices. You'll be more in control of your impulses and less likely to give in to immediate gratification. To learn more about the benefits of deferred gratification read this article about The Marshmallow Experiment.
4. Enhanced focus and concentration: A disciplined life can help you eliminate distractions and focus your attention on the task at hand. This also can lead to increased productivity and better outcomes. Tip: How much screen time do you allow yourself each day? How about your kids? 

Writers working on assignment know how important deadlines are. It takes discipline to stay organized and on task, whatever size the project. 

When I was a senior in high school I heard a classmate explaining why he was joining the army. He said that he had no personal discipline and his life felt out of control. He felt like he needed an external force to change this or he would never amount to anything and very likely would self-destruct. It was apparent he had spent a lot of time thinking about his behavior and what he wanted out of life. He knew his future was in his hands.

If your life is out of control, do whatever it takes to turn it around. You only live once. 

Photo Credit: AI modified version of my Portrait of John Cage

The Virtue of Discipline

Photo by Azamat Zhanisov on Unsplash

“The pain of self-discipline will never be as great as the pain of regret.”--Anon.

You don't hear much about the word discipline these days. Perhaps it's because we associate it with getting a spanking when we were little. It sounds like something harsh, like something no one wants to do and that kids especially don't like.*

The word discipline, however is an exceedingly important word. I'm referring here to personal discipline. In the realm of finances, for example, it takes discipline to live within one's means. It takes discipline to set aside money for the future.

In the realm of pursuing a career in music, every master pianist spends hours and years developing finger strength, muscle memory and uncanny degrees of skill by countless hours of disciplined practice.

In sports, the very best in the game have spent untold hours honing their instincts and skills. As a boy, for example, Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera spent hours upon hours throwing a baseball at a nail-head on the back of his father's boathouse. This exercise produced in him a throwing precision that made him one of the most intimidating closers in baseball history.

Improving one's knowledge by reading takes discipline. Television is a mindless activity that offers a temporary distraction from stress, responsibility or other life burdens, but as a way of life it does little more than fill time.And for most it is just a habit. Leaders read. Time is too precious to waste on habits that undermine more productive pursuits.

Here's another area where it takes discipline. It takes discipline not to react to things that people say or stories you hear, until you know they are true. Sometimes we blow a fuse before we even know the facts. Our first reaction is often to think the worst. We overreact.

A better habit would be to practice the P.I.N. Method taught by Dr. Edward De Bono. Everything has a Positive, Interesting and Negative aspect. By rationally analyzing things we hear, we defuse the emotion that clouds our thinking. It takes discipline to do this.

And when it comes to passing along stories you see on social media, it takes discipline to pause, reflect, and check it out to verify if it is even true. Why risk your own cred by just spreading manure.

Learning to control our emotions is a discipline. Self-control doesn't sound all that fun to many people, but if you speak your mind every time you are angry you will not only wreck relationships, you can very easily lose your job. When the Bill of Rights addresses freedom of expression, this isn't what the Founding Fathers had in mind.

Another area of emotional maturity is in the realm of moodiness. "I'm in a bad mood and that means I don't want anyone around me to be in a good mood." It's a mark of maturity to be considerate of co-workers and others in your life. (I am not saying we're not allowed to get depressed. I am suggesting that we have more control over how we express it than we usually want to own up to.)

Winners and Losers

We live in an era where the word competition is under attack. The reality is, competition brings out the best in us. When we compete in a tournament, something is at stake. That something inspires us to work harder to be better, whether it be soccer, chess or poker. If "everyone wins" the end result is to make everyone a loser. Why try when you know being better makes no difference?

In the real world, when kids grow up, they will discover that not everyone gets the job. When there are openings, there are usually more candidates than jobs. There will be winners and losers. This is the way life works.

Punctuality is a discipline. Writers who work on assignment quickly learn that deadlines are real. The publication will be going to  press and your story needs to be there early in order to be edited, typeset, etc. Writers also need to develop the discipline of editing their work.

And yes, it is work. And work itself is a discipline.

Addicted to Self-Indulgence
The Nike slogan, "Do It" shouldn't be interpreted to mean "Do whatever pops into your head."

"I want this. I want that. I want, want want want want.... Gotta have it. Please please please please please."

One of the reasons we're so undisciplined in our culture is that we've lost sight of the value of discipline as being a means to a higher purpose: to become our better selves.

THIS BLOG POST was triggered by an article I saw on The Ladders about bad habits we must break to improve our lives. The opening paragraph was right on point.

Habits define us. And nothing sabotages your creativity and productive life quite like bad habits. In the words of Samuel Johnson “The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.”

We all know what we need to do. Unfortunately most of us are trapped into following the path of least resistance. "I'll quit tomorrow," we say, about whatever has us hooked in like smoking, overeating, porn, watching TV, etc.  As for building positive habits, like getting the exercise we know we need... "Tomorrow." Or, "Next week will be soon enough."

All this to say, it all boils down to self-talk. What's happening in your head is where the battle is. If I may, here's a line from a Bob Marley song you should take to heart: "Don't give up the fight!"

Plato put it this way: “The first and best victory is to conquer self.”

Related Links
Bad Habits You Must Break Immediately to Improve Your Life 
I was spanked with a belt. My Dad was spanked with a Razor Strop