The Cross-Transference of Discipline
Turns out, the formula isn’t as simple as learn once and apply.
Back in school, every morning assembly pushed the agenda of being disciplined into sluggish, distracted young minds. At that age, being disciplined meant to obey rules. After a management overhaul, to be disciplined was a warning preceding severe consequences in the event of any infractions. Naturally, I assumed discipline was synonymous with lawful.
While it remains that discipline is a ceaseless practice of maintaining order, it has come to mean so much more. I didn’t actively have to disassociate the forced instruction of following or-else, it happened on its own somewhere along the way, though in part. The impending retribution for a misstep takes hold dressed unlike a literal slap on the wrist although they both smell awfully alike.
Discipline has grown to spread its canopy over ideas of consistency and reliability. If life were a business, motivation, inspiration and aspiration would be the celebrated faces of marketing, design and management. Discipline would be logistics — ever present, supporting and actualizing. Signing in everyday to get the job done, even especially when it doesn’t feel fun.
I find that discipline is a value that resonates with commitment and regularity. You commit so you turn up regularly, and that creates discipline. It’s seemingly easy, but challenging in practice.
The method is simple, to go from 0 to 1, from a state of naught to aught.
Postulating that discipline is indeed a value such as honesty, it should be simple enough to apply across situations. If you are honest, you are truthful, you come to see your reflection as a reliable source of authenticity. I exclude, of course, the instances where one deviates to protect feelings of others or in favor of a macroscopic event — the scope of this discussion limits itself to the complexities encountered in my thoughts of discipline.
It’s been a rude awakening that discipline performs differently. I am acquiescent when it comes to exercising or working out, for example. I don’t hate it, I find it enjoyable at times and sometimes, I don’t feel up to it. However, it’s something I do of my own accord. My reasons are plain — it’s good for health and wellbeing. I am committed to this activity and I do it regularly. In this respect, I am disciplined. I am familiar with the notion and in practice of it.
To correctly add 18 to 17, the rule (and logic) is to carry over. The value of discipline is, ironically, in disobedience of this rule. It looks like it doesn’t carry over, doesn’t transfer.
I struggle afresh to establish my footing each time that I decide to start something new. Even when I feel for the cause with passion, or when there’s incentivized motivation. Nothing compares to my own inornate volition. I can’t place what the final impetus is that pushes me so I find myself walking towards the call to action. I imagine it isn’t one final word of encouragement from me to me, but instead a summation of constant mental dialogue.
It’s an organic progression to be self critical and to belittle the self when you fail to show up on a day, when you look the task in its face and that is the extent of your engagement with it. No headway made. It’s easy to kick a man when he’s down, the effort here must be to take the discourse, to tell yourself that you don’t need to be slapping your wrist to perform. Discipline comes from doing, this form of penance can often be counterproductive in inciting a willingness to do.
If the objective is to create compulsion, albeit faux, it can be constructed with reason as opposed to punishment.
When it comes to actual, practicable solutions, an interesting and fairly effective tactic to make yourself show up is Seinfeld’s Strategy for Creativity and Productivity. It expounds on the method of converting zeros to ones. After reading articles and watching videos aplenty about being productive and consistent, it all comes down to how fruitful a conversation you can have with yourself. Allow yourself to look out for yourself. When your mind urges you to pick up your pen and write, pick it up and write anything, all you have to do is go from blank to “A” to begin the rest of your story.
