To Rest Is To Be Disciplined
Brian Ford
Using personal development to fundraise for charity | Self-Improvement Podcaster (20+ million downloads) | Social Impact Leader (Nonprofit founder at For Purpose Foundation)
A belief that you are self-disciplined is what I call a foundational mindset. If you don’t follow through on doing the things you know you need to do, then all of your intentions to apply yourself aren’t supported by your own ability to execute them.
However, I do believe the idea of self-discipline is misunderstood. It’s not a notion of doing what you said you would do at all costs… I relate with it as something more beneficial - To faithfully do what you know most serves you, consistently, despite the circumstances surrounding it.
For that reason, to rest is to be disciplined. Let me explain this by running through a scenario.
You wake up in the morning with a plan to get a workout in, but your boss pings you or you have that one important errand to get done. You do it quickly but realize now you don’t have time for your workout so you start your workday. Things come up that pull you off track - getting distracted in non-essential things, requests from your boss, etc. - and you start to run behind. Maybe you squeeze a mini-workout in but most likely you put time into doing the things that others need from you. Even so, it pushes your work day a little longer.
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Then at the end of the day you have dinner, spend time with loved ones and do activities that you enjoy, or even wrap up one last thing at work. But it’s not enough, and when it’s time to start shutting down for the day to get to bed on time, you have a decision to make. You have time to do more of those things you enjoy, didn’t do, or need to do… Or you can choose to go to sleep.
The right choice, that most serves you and everything else you have on your plate, is to take care of you. To get enough sleep and be well-rested for a new day. It takes self-control and will-power to get yourself to stop and actually go to sleep on time. It takes discipline to make that choice despite the circumstances and pressure of wanting to do more.
An investment in your energy is an investment in everything else. The quality of your output, focus, or presence is limited by how you feel when you show up to the moment. Going to sleep on time is harder than it needs to be, but that’s why it’s an ultimate expression of self-discipline. Challenge yourself to go to bed on time for a full week and notice how much it transforms your life.
If you want to really take things to the next level, learn about the 2 other foundational mindsets, alongside being self-disciplined, here.