Most major problems in one’s life center on the failure of self-discipline. That’s right, your lack of willpower leads to stuff like: compulsive spending, impulsive behavior, underachievement in your personal projects, procrastination at work, alcohol and drug abuse, unhealthy lifestyle, lack of exercise, chronic anxiety, and a lot of other self-sabotaging habits. But the main activity in relation to building discipline is far different from what you imagine. Let me explain…
Most of the resources that talk about how to be a disciplined person approach the subject in the wrong way.
There’s a widespread belief that self-discipline means being able to choose and do something difficult when there are easier alternatives that can be done.
That’s true.
By making today a little less impulsively pleasurable. You make tomorrow a little more secure and productive. That’s always difficult.
But the underlying idea of the articles I’ve found in the world’s online library – a.k.a. the Internet. Is that building discipline is a solvable problem.
Well, that’s not true.
You can never become self-disciplined – as if you reach a specific place where you hold the holy grail of progress. You can only maintain self-discipline.
Like hunger and the need for humans to rest. Developing self-discipline requires ongoing maintenance. It’s just a sort of endless cost you have to pay in order to have a healthy body and an above-zero bank balance.
In this post, we look at building discipline and how to be a disciplined person as unsolvable problems. As tasks you can never truly achieve. Yet, all of this, without discouraging you from trying – and backed by science.
Hey there, sorry to interrupt…
Since you’ve come this far, it seems that you are passionate about pursuing depth over distraction. I am too! And while what I’m about to say next probably won’t quite excite you, I have to say it…
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See, I digest acres of complex ideas from various resources and morph my findings into straight-to-the-point book summaries, thought-provoking articles, and practical courses. The main goal is not only to help you understand the underlying concepts from badass ideas. But, also, to help you stay curious, inspired, and well-educated. Above all, though, I want to help you transition from a passive online consumer to an active, mindful go-getter with a sense of purpose.
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- Wang, W. et al. (2021) ‘When learning goal orientation leads to learning from failure: The roles of negative emotion coping orientation and positive grieving’, Frontiers in Psychology, 12. Available at: doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.608256.
- Berg C, Lappas G, Wolk A, Strandhagen E, Toren K, Rosengren A, et al. Eating patterns and portion size associated with obesity in a Swedish population. Appetite. 2009;52:21–26. Available at: doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2008.07.008
- Bush, N.J. et al. (2022) ‘Stress mediates the association between pain and alcohol use in college students’, Journal of Pain Research, Volume 15, pp. 757–766. Available at: doi:10.2147/jpr.s351837
- Baumeister, R.F. and Tierney, J. (2012) Willpower: Why self-control is the secret of success. New York: Penguin Press.
- Baumeister RF Heatherton TF Tice DM. Losing Control : How and Why People Fail at Self-Regulation. San Diego: Academic Press; 1994. Available at: https://worldcat.org/en/title/30594010
