We were having a blog meeting and while going through all of the articles that we have saved for the future, someone said, “yeah David, you have 10 articles you can take a break!”
While the recognition was nice, there was something about the statement that bothered me. You see, when we think about discipline, we need to approach it in terms of creating habits that are continuous, not just isolated events. I could write 20 articles in a short burst or I could write two articles a week. Of the two choices, writing two articles in a week shows discipline.
Discipline when we have it, is a personality trait and defines who we are while doing something once is simply performative. We can clean our room, or we can prevent it from getting dirty. We can train really hard to get our black belt or instead we can continue our training and be a black belt.
My friends, in discipline there is truth. You become a reliable person and your actions define who you are. You will be able to take control of your life and you will be able to be honest in everything you do. You are not wearing a mask or putting on a show, it is simply you.
Do things at work and at class not just once to get recognition or to receive a new belt. Do things constantly only with the expectation of being good. If you do this you will eventually be rewarded not for what you did but for who you are and that is what matters the most.
