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To a child, discipline means punishment, but to an adult, it means control. If you don’t control yourself, someone else will. As a child, it’s your parents. As an adult, it’s the law. Self Discipline is very obviously, controlling yourself. Why is this important? If you can control yourself, no one else will have to control you. If a child does his chores, does his homework, keeps his impulses under control, then parents don’t have to redirect, set consequences or punish. If adults follow the laws, pay their taxes and bills, control their reactions to their emotions, then their lives are quiet and easy.
The word discipline itself can conjure up images of strict routines and harsh punishments. But at its core, discipline is something far more positive. It’s about learning and self-control, about guiding yourself towards your goals.It is not just about preventing yourself from being bad, it’s also about making yourself do those things you should do.
Martial artists are known for being self-disciplined people. It doesn’t happen quickly or easily, but here is how it happens. At first, we are controlled by the instructors to warm up, stretch, work on strength, stamina. To hone and perfect our technique. We are led through our forms, coached to keep our control in sparring and then maintain an even and balanced bearing as we work. We are taught to work harder, harder than we think we can, so we can achieve higher than we thought we could. Sometimes we have to add emotion to our techniques, especially with our yells and performance. Learning to add emotional reactions helps us to control other emotional reactions. Learning to follow directions so tightly to develop precise technique, teaches us how to control, or discipline ourselves and eventually, it transfers into the other areas of our lives.
What does a disciplined person look like? Well, all are a little different, but the highest levels of disciplined martial artists that I know do these things:
- Have a routine with a daily plan
- Set goals and work very hard, doing whatever it takes, no matter how tedious or hard, to achieve those goals
- Journal for productivity, for mental organization, and for emotional therapy
- Get up the same time every day, not just weekdays
- Drink water, a lot of water
- Avoid negative things, such as smoking, drinking, doing drugs and even avoid using vulgarity or exposing ourselves to negative imagery.
- Bathe, brush, floss … two times per day
- Eat healthy foods, avoiding processed foods and fast food, meal prep is very common
- Study something every day, take a class, learn something, read for 30 minutes minimum
- Meditate every day
- Train our bodies every day – we must break a sweat
- Try to improve the community by interacting with those around us in a positive and uplifting way.
- Treat everyone with respect, compassion and kindness, even if on the onset that person doesn’t seem like they deserve it.
- Go to bed at the same time every night, sleep is important, more than you think, but too much can hurt you.
- Balance the finances. What comes in must be more than what goes out.
Think of discipline as a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger it gets. You can develop your discipline in any area of your life, from mastering a new skill to sticking to a healthy habit.
Here’s how discipline can benefit you:
- Achieve your goals: Whether it’s running a marathon or launching your own business, discipline is the bridge that takes you from dreams to reality.
- Boost your confidence: When you see yourself following through on commitments, your self-belief soars.
- Improve your focus: Discipline helps you filter out distractions and concentrate on what truly matters.
Remember, discipline is a journey, not a destination. There will be setbacks, but don’t let them discourage you. With consistent effort, you can cultivate the self-control you need to turn your dreams into reality.
I hope this helps, Grandmaster Brown, Out!