The Concept of Discipline

As an avid practitioner of the iron game, I train with weights virtually everyday. In fact, rarely a day goes by where I am not in the gym. As a result, I often get comments from friends, and even strangers, that I must be very disciplined to lead the lifestyle that I do. Often I would thank the person for the compliment and not give it much thought beyond that.  

Recently, however, one of my colleagues mentioned to me that they felt so guilty for skipping a few days worth of workouts because they were ill disciplined (basically they felt lazy that day and decided to indulge themselves). This incident got me questioning the whole concept of discipline - is there even such a thing?  

One of the most common questions that I get from people who have just started a training program is 'How can I ensure that I am disciplined and motivated enough to continue my workouts?' I usually pose this question in response, 'How much do you love yourself?'   You see, discipline is a lie - there is no such thing. There is only love. Love is virtually THE most powerful creative force in the universe. Think about it, you are a result of what you love the most. You either love washboard abs more than that dessert, or you don't. You either love being the fittest and most healthy version of yourself, or you don't. Do not beat yourself up thinking that you have no discipline, or that further downing another slice of cake in an effort to drown your sorrows out of guilt will help alleviate this pain. Just admit that you love crappy food more than your health or strength, and that's all right, provided you could live with it.  

A person's self-esteem is a reflection of their self-judgement. As a result, one of the best ways to raise your self-esteem is to make truly loving choices that lead an increased strength of your body and mind. To continue using training and diet as an analogy, if you truly love yourself in the gym, you would choose doing full squats over leg extensions. If you truly love yourself in a food court, you would choose clear fish soup and plain rice over fried hokkien mee and carrot cake.  When faced with a difficult choice, it would be helpful to ask yourself, 'What would a knowledgeable expert with your best interests in mind recommend?' For example, if you wanted to train chest, would an expert recommend cable crossovers or full range dumbbell presses? If you wanted dessert, would an expert recommend a sugar-rich slice of double chocolate fudge cake, or a bowl of greek yoghurt with berries?  Of course, I am not suggesting you immediately start preparing meals of chicken breast and brown rice with broccoli and start training every single day. In fact, this idea extends beyond training and dieting, to encompass a more holistic idea of self-fulfillment. In anything you do, you either love yourself enough to make the smart choices, develop a plan to reach your goals and incorporate it such that it is a part of your lifestyle, or you love being a subpar, mediocre version of yourself.  

Every successful person who reached their success did so by doing what they needed to do every single day; no matter how negligible it may have seemed or how painful it might have been at that time. They did so because they believed in the end product, and they loved the future successful version of themselves so much that they would do what was necessary to get there. They understood that the fulfillment of reaching their eventual goal was worth way more than any form of instant gratification.  Knowing all this, how then do we free ourselves from this archaic concept of discipline? 

Here are a couple of things you can start doing to liberate yourself.  Firstly, accept that whatever choices you make are a reflection of what you truly love, and choose to love yourself more than external things. Treating yourself well will accelerate the growth of your self-esteem and your self-judgement will improve exponentially. When you achieve results as you progress, and people compliment you by saying you have a lot of discipline, tell them you just love making the right choices for yourself. Reinforcing your own positivity will help it manifest in strength.  Also remember that what you appreciate appreciates, so whenever you make a truly loving choice in yourself, reward yourself positively. For example, when you meet a certain goal, reward yourself with a vacation or a new piece of equipment. The more you believe in yourself, the more objectively you will be able to take criticism from others, because your self-esteem is already strongly reinforced.  

There is an old Hindu saying 'The World is as we are.' If you are tired of the condition of the world around you, then change it. Start by taking control and changing yourself, and BE the change you want to see in the world. We are what we attract in life, so be that which you want the most. Being loving towards yourself and making the right choices towards that end will ensure you lead the most fun, enjoyable and productive life possible.