Mehak Gupta Gover
What is your perspective? Do you see freedom and discipline as opposites or do you see discipline as means to achieve freedom?
Freedom and discipline are two words that are not usually used together. But, they, indeed go hand in hand. They don’t sit on the opposite sides of the spectrum, as is usually seen, but are very much connected. Freedom is what everyone wants. But the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline. It creates a bridge between goals and accomplishments. Freedom sounds exciting and conjures up visions of limitless possibilities, open options and spontaneous actions. Discipline, by contrast, reeks of the boredom of repetitive or routine tasks, limiting over options and forcing ourselves to do things we don’t want to do. But, if we look clearly, it is discipline that brings us freedom. The discipline of quieting the mind whether by meditation or other insight work brings a sense of peace and inner freedom. Other outer freedoms such as fit body, financial independence, the ability to travel, being an expert in our field, all these demands discipline and commitment. It is an essential component in the achievement of any goal.
‘Why do we take discipline as a restriction or a constraint, that binds our body from opening up. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a Habit’. These lines are beautifully put up by Aristotle.
One of the most important keys to success is having the discipline to do what we know we should do, even when we don’t feel like doing. Getting Up Early! There is a very common phrase we teach our kids- Early to bed, Early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. We need to train our mind to get up early. Training our mind is discipline. It has the power to transform our mind.
We are the thinkers of our thoughts. We are the creators of the thoughts that flow through our mind. Time is our most important commodity. Use discipline to utilise our precious thing in the best way possible. Just the willingness of changing our concepts, our lifestyle is not enough. We need to develop the skill of excellence. Our fears, faults and uncertainty, once we stop running and start confronting truth, we can begin to find the courage, perseverence, honesty, reponsibility and forgiveness we seek. This all needs just one factor in our lives- DISCIPLINE. Freedom without discipline is total chaos.
In words of Wayne Thieband- ” Discipline is not a restriction bit an aid to freedom”.
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of our thoughts. If we don’t control what we think, we cannot control what we do. Mastering personal discipline is both an art and a skill. To be disciplined, we need to do what we want and what we need to do with persistence. Don’t you think, a day spent with discipline even when no task may be accomplished is still more satisfying than one of the high performance driven by the much jugaad mechanism?
Discipline equals freedom applies to every aspect of life. If one wants more freedom, one needs to get more discipline. To do anything in life, to reach any height, one needs to practice discipline. We all have limitations. But what does that mean? Does that mean one should give up? Does that mean one should quit? Of course not! The sun doesn’t shine everyday. The storms will come. There will be times when the darkness seems to consume everything. Don’t give up. Our will, our determination, the Disciplined routine that we follow will help us to stand high! Do the things that are right for you. Being different for all the right reason is a wise way to live.
Don’t worry about motivation. It is fickle. It comes and goes. It is unreliable and when we are counting on motivation to get our goals accomplished- we will fall short. Don’t expect to be motivated everyday to make things happen. Count on Discipline. Find the Discipline. Be the Discipline. Make it happen. Accomplish!
“With discipline,
Life becomes more beautiful
And less evasive.”
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