[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/get-more\/discipline\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/get-more\/discipline\/","headline":"Discipline","name":"Discipline","description":"It’s not as hard as you think. Make your bed. […]","datePublished":"2023-02-20","dateModified":"2023-03-01","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/author\/algorithmlife\/#Person","name":"algorithmlife","url":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/author\/algorithmlife\/","identifier":1,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d9ce54bf7884db06c868d4c3d9f401d81cecc940d6403409642a6a34d06caa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d9ce54bf7884db06c868d4c3d9f401d81cecc940d6403409642a6a34d06caa8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Person","name":"Dave Burnett"},"url":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/get-more\/discipline\/","about":["Get More"],"wordCount":964,"articleBody":"It’s not as hard as you think.Make your bed.Busy is a lack of preparation.Discipline is the secret.Inspiration gets you started, discipline is what gets you finished.Discipline is the key to happiness.Do something today that tomorrow you will be grateful for.Talent is not enough.\u00a0 You need disciplined execution.Self discipline is the ability to make yourself do, what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.Discipline is not punishment.Occasionally, with great discretion, misbehave.At first I didn’t think I could do it.\u00a0 Do what you might ask?\u00a0 Not drink. Now I’m no raging alcoholic, but I did enjoy drinks with friends, on the beach, at the cottage, on a Friday night at dinner.\u00a0 I was what you would probably call a social drinker, but at midnight on New Year’s eve 2020, I made a resolution that I wouldn’t drink for a year.\u00a0 Why did I do that?\u00a0 My kids were getting older and watching what I was doing.\u00a0 I had a good role model in that my mentor didn’t drink, and I admire the life he lives.\u00a0 Plus I simply wanted to see if I could do it.\u00a0 So I thought, why not? The best thing about having a dry year was not that I didn’t drink, but that it showed me I could be disciplined.\u00a0 I could follow through with a decision and stick to it.\u00a0 It was a relatively low bar, but I was able to step over it and that first win, is propelling me to more wins.\u00a0 Today when people refer to me, they say I am a disciplined person.\u00a0 More importantly, that is part of the story I tell myself now.\u00a0 That is part of who I am.\u00a0 I proved it over hundreds of days, and now I’m on to the next challenge: Can I stick with it for the rest of my life? Here’s something that I learned along the way that might be helpful.\u00a0 Motivation and inspiration get you started, but discipline gets you finished.\u00a0 What I like most about discipline is it appeals to the lazy part of me.\u00a0 I tell myself ‘I’ve already made that decision, just go and do it.’\u00a0 And so I do.\u00a0 The flip side to this of course is taking the time to make those decisions about how you’re going to spend your time, or what you’re going to do, and adjusting periodically.\u00a0 But once you’ve made the decision, you don’t have to do that again.\u00a0 That precious mental energy can be used for something else.\u00a0 Discipline frees you to be creative because the basics are taken care of. For example: I go to bed between 10 and 11, and I get up between 5 and 6.\u00a0 That’s enough sleep for me, and I get so much done in the mornings, I wouldn’t give that time to anyone or anything else.\u00a0 And really, what are you doing after 10 or 11 at night anyways that is going to make all the difference for you in the world?\u00a0 Watching a show?\u00a0 How are the Kardashians going to make the difference you’re looking for in your life? When I played hockey, there were guys who were much more talented than I was.\u00a0 I especially admired those who could stick handle the puck in such smooth ways, it almost seemed like it was velcroed to their stick.\u00a0 But most interestingly it wasn’t the talent of those guys that determined who made it to the NHL, it was how much discipline they had.\u00a0 Being good was simply a requirement.\u00a0 It was the guys who spent the 10,000+ hours doing what needed to be done to make it, who actually made it.\u00a0 It was the guys who worked on their talents, and honed them into a weapon that made the defence useless.\u00a0 It was the discipline to take the raw material and work it into something better was what made the difference. The one problem that I have with discipline is the way it’s used as punishment.\u00a0 That person was out of line, and so they got disciplined.\u00a0 I think that has damaged the perception of discipline more than anything else.\u00a0 Discipline is not punishment.\u00a0 Discipline is the key to success and self discipline is the ability to make yourself do, what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.\u00a0 It’s the running in the rain, just because you run every day.\u00a0 It’s the making those calls, just because you know if you do, you’ll hit your numbers.\u00a0 It’s the doing of the thing because you know that will take you farther down the path to reaching your goals and dreams. This brings me to the final two points about discipline.\u00a0 The first is by making the decision to do something, then carrying out the execution of that thing, even if it sucks today, you know deep down that tomorrow you will be grateful you did it.\u00a0 When you are seen the results, you won’t remember the cold mornings.\u00a0 You won’t remember the grind.\u00a0 When you’re at the top of the mountain, it will all be worth it.\u00a0 So do something today, that tomorrow you will be grateful for. The second thing is when you start living a disciplined life, the repetition can get a little tiresome.\u00a0 It can make it feel like you’re sucking the joy out of life, at least at first.\u00a0 So like any system that builds up pressure, you have to let off steam.\u00a0 So as counter-intuitive as it seems, occasionally, with great discretion, misbehave.\u00a0 You’ll be better for it."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Get More","item":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/get-more\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Discipline","item":"https:\/\/algorithmforlife.com\/get-more\/discipline\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]