Discipline Is A Necessity

A Young Man’s Guide To Navigating The Modern Era #3

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich, 1818.

Hello again!

The warmest of regards.

Another month has passed, and a new set of issues has arisen for us to consider. This issue, as the title suggests, concerns discipline.

For the longest time, I was lost thinking about what tidbit of wisdom I could bring to all of you; what guiding light has shed upon my life this hour?

I sit, abandoned, in a coffee shop. I was meant to meet one of my mentors; however, as I am to everything, I was late.

Punctuality has always been a trait I lack, so a teacher abandoning me means teaching me a lesson.

The lesson is that discipline is a necessity.

No matter your goal or endeavor, it will never come to pass without a concentrated and decisive effort to make it a reality. Discipline is required to make the life you wish to live a reality.

On the way out of my previous university, a friend training to be an Army Ranger gave me this advice: “Let discipline fall into your life, and everything will fall into place.”

The military requires discipline, but how can we factor it into our daily lives?

The answer.

Habits.

Good habits align with our previous notions of Stoicism and oppose our enemy, Nihilism.

The book for this issue is Atomic Habits. It is an excellent read, and I highly recommend it to all of you.

Atomic Habits discusses the power of making small changes every day to attain big results in the long run. Good examples include reading 10 minutes a day, doing 20 pushups before going to bed, and not ordering soda pop when eating out.

These little changes build momentum for more challenging and drastic changes to become more manageable.

I was late to meeting today, going forward, maybe start leaving a couple minutes earlier.

These small changes will build a sense of integrity and a higher standard to hold yourself. This will, in turn, build self-confidence.

That confidence will motivate you to make significant changes, like cutting processed foods from your diet, becoming incredibly consistent with your workout routine, and increasing your attention span to get the most out of classes and training.

As Clear states, the name of the game is little changes, “building habits at the atomic level.”

Another tool to instill discipline can be found in your surroundings: your friends.

Your friends are the first point of contact when it comes to influences; in a way, you become like them.

Friends are also something you decide to keep, so surround yourself with folks who are disciplined and like-minded.

I hadn’t been meeting my gym goals until recently when I had an incredibly consistent friend work with me. I have been consistent for the past three weeks, and the results are starting to show. Although I’ve only lost 7 pounds, progress is progress, and it was made possible by slight changes to my habits and the positive influences of my peers.

Finally, the last piece of advice I have to instill discipline: have conviction.

Integrity.

Sticking to your guns and keeping your word will make you more disciplined. If you cannot even govern yourself regarding when you will be somewhere, what you will do, and how you will do it, how can you expect to be disciplined and reliable for even a passing moment?

At no level will you ever be capable of anything greater than yourself if you cannot keep your word. You must stand for something you believe in, and at the very least, that must be yourself. Hold yourself to that standard, and others will respect you all the more for it.

I apologize for the brevity of this issue. The upcoming issue will be longer and more analytical. One of you recommended the topic for the next issue!

Addiction.

So be on the lookout for that, and as always, “IT’S UP TO YOU!”