What is the Role of Discipline in Life?
Abhishek Sharma ?
Zoho MVP & Partner, Zoho, Salesforce, Microsoft Certified| 18+ Years in IT | Empowering Businesses to Grow | Director @ Encaptechno | Let's Connect! ??
Discipline is something that we’re all aware of, but it is a concept that not many people understand completely. Some of the most successful people in life are the most disciplined human beings as well. Discipline is a way of life that is actually vital to each living being because, without it, the world around us can become chaotic.
If anyone wants to become a successful and inspiring leader, learning the art of discipline is very important. When you learn to lead your life in discipline, it becomes easy to make the right decisions in life. Being disciplined enables a person to exercise self-restraint which further helps in promoting achievement.
Discipline Creates a Structured Life
Discipline has the ability to bring stability to our lives. It also teaches a person to become responsible and respectful in whatever they do. The simple observance of well-defined rules forms as a basis of society leads to collective harmony. When there is no discipline; people can do what they want while making mistakes without considering anything else.
On the other hand, following discipline promotes good human behaviour which promotes the quality of life and makes life worth it. The ability of a person to exercise restraint enables a person to behave in a stringent and controlled manner. If there is a lack of this ability then the final results can be disastrous.
Let’s think of it this way. We all know very well discipline is the primary aspect on which sports have been created. Each player is supposed to play by the rules of the game to win. This is the reason why umpires and referees exist. Anybody who does not allow these guidelines can be penalized for violating the game rules.
People in high authority should demonstrate high levels of restraint consistently. They cannot speak however they may see fit. A smart leader on the other hand knows when to hold his tongue and when to speak. Discipline helps in training a person’s mind and character as well while also building a sense of control and practising obedience.
Internal and External Discipline
There are two kinds of discipline, one is internal and another one is external. Internal discipline is following self-restraint and having a strong ability to differentiate right from wrong. On the other hand, external discipline is following the social laws. It is not always enough to have great qualities, but it is also important to be someone who can manage these qualities.
Many people are prone to immediate gratification. Everyone who lacks control is unable to look at the long term effects of actions. This goes on to show why discipline is an important skill to have in life. It is safe to say that discipline is the most crucial skill if you are trying to achieve a goal. It helps you to choose from different options and following these options, it also allows you to achieve the success that you want. In addition, it also gives you the authority that you need to overcome any challenge in your life.
It is important to know that discipline is something that can be developed and can act as a bridge between goals and accomplishments. At a given time, you can choose to develop the skill of discipline so that it is strengthened. When you make promises, you have to ensure that you deliver them as well.
Making a genuine effort to align your actions and behaviours with your thoughts is a sign of discipline. Habits such as exercising and getting your mind and body in shape are fine examples of discipline. When you resist the urge to give in to negative patterns, it becomes easy to focus on positive attributes easily.
Remember this: Just like a muscle, discipline can be trained as well. The more you end up working on your skill of discipline, the stronger it becomes. A person who is more discipline will be able to see the big picture and use restraint during a challenge. On the other hand, if a person is not disciplined, it is possible to lose your cool easily and cost yourself a shot.
Discipline – Highest Human Trait
When it comes to discipline, it is easily one of the highest traits of human personality. In fact, the concept of discipline is pretty much similar to a leader’s wish to form a civilized and proactive team. Discipline can be considered a prerequisite of any civil society.
The presence of discipline is very much indispensable for human beings to exist in order and harmony. Everyone needs some rules and regulations to ensure that their life runs smoothly and without discipline, this is something that is not possible.
A disciplined life is always appreciated by everybody, even the ones who are undisciplined. This is because discipline forms the basis of the universe. When we look at the universal bodies moving in the cosmos, we will understand the importance of discipline. These bodies move on a set path around the Sun. Each day, the sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening.
It is safe to say that an undisciplined life causes unrest and even anarchy in life and society. It is important that almost everyone follows the rules to establish a peaceful life. A human being’s life without discipline is practically nothing. If a man is not disciplined, it becomes difficult to get anything in life. For someone to get progress, stability and strength in life, it is important to follow rules as well.
Discipline is necessary for people from all walks of life. Students must obey what their parents and teachers say. Working professionals must obey their managers. Soldiers must obey their officers. The cycle goes on but discipline stays. It is one thing that will stay until the end of time because without discipline, life will make no sense and everything around us will not be able to reach its potential.
Reasons Why Discipline Is Important
1. Developing Good Habits
Trying to build new habits is an effective way to ensure that you let go of any undesired behavioural patterns. New habits can still be challenging to build which is the exact reason why they say that discipline plays an important role in life.
When you learn to commit to new habits, it becomes easy and eventually natural to let go of any undesired behaviours. As a result, you can set aside bad habits easily.
2. No Procrastination
Discipline makes sure that you do not procrastinate in your life. Everyone has struggled with putting tasks off or waiting for the right time to do something. When you are disciplined, getting things done comes naturally.
Your capability to get things done is never dependent on how you feel. In a way, discipline takes an automated form in your life. There is no need to wait for the right time or feeling to finally get things done. Discipline people can effectively push through any feelings of procrastination and just start whenever they want.
3. Improved Time Management
Time management is a skill that comes to mind when disciplined is talked about. When you form better habits and do not procrastinate, you can save a lot of time on different tasks while making better use of time.
Time management is actually one of the best skills that you can develop because it applied to almost all parts of your life. Discipline helps in building this skill.
4. Achieving Goals
Almost everyone has goals in life because without goals life has no meaning. Goals can be anything from learning a new language to getting better at a skill. Time management and discipline are the two most important things when it is to achieve goals.
To make sure that you realize your goals, it is necessary that you inculcate discipline in your life. This is not something that happens overnight. Discipline makes sure that you build new habits, stop procrastinating, and manage your time effectively.
5. Boosting Self Esteem
There is nothing as satisfying as forming new habits, breaking the old ones and meeting your goals in the process. The small victories can boost a person’s self-esteem which then makes it easy to be disciplined.
When you are disciplined, you will feel considerably confident in your ability to follow a routine, manage your time and resist any kind of procrastination. You will also be able to develop high self-esteem in your life and relationships. With high self-esteem, your emotional resilience will increase as well.
6. Mastering Skills
Many people who are best at what they do have one thing in common and that is discipline. These people wake up at the same time, have a strict routine, and commit themselves to self-improvement with continued education in different areas of their life.
No successful person reaches the top without practising self-discipline. If attaining mastery in a skill is your ultimate goal then you must ensure that you follow a disciplined routine.
7. Better Reliability
By now we have understood that a lack of discipline can have lasting effects on your life. If you are not so good at time management then you will struggle to meet your work deadlines, reach events and schedule appointments on time. This will eventually lead to you gaining a reputation of being unreliable.
Conversely, if you have a good sense of time management then following a disciplined life will become easy for you. Once you follow a strict routine and respect time, you will see that people will start relying on you and following your lead for getting things done. There are many methods that can make time management easy such as organizing schedules, setting alarms, etc.
8. Managing Emotions
Discipline applies to your emotions as well along with habits. Emotions are not bad, but some of them are definitely more challenging than others. Jealousy or anger are good examples. Fortunately, discipline is something that can help in dealing with these emotions.
Learning to lead a disciplined life helps in managing negative emotions and expressing them in a healthy way. Healthy expressions of anger can often include acknowledging the feeling, soothing yourself and communicating to others when necessary.
9. Ripple Effect
Discipline is a way of life. Even if you start the following discipline in just one area of life, you will quickly begin to see its effects on other areas as well. While you are focusing on just one area of your life, being disciplined will easily expand to other areas of your life as well.
Discipline often results in forming new habits and thinking patterns that apply everywhere. All thanks to increased self-confidence, victory follows in all areas of your life and it is also easy to develop discipline in all areas.
10. Stress Reduction
All of us experience stress in our lives, but when we are disciplined, we are less likely to feel stressed. Improved time management plays a big role in this because many people hold stress when they are in a rush for not using their time well.
Following a disciplined life makes it all a lot less chaotic and cumbersome. People feel a lot more control and grounded when they follow discipline which is why the stress reduces too.
Conclusion
We are all told about the importance of discipline in our lives ever since we are small children. However, many times we lose track of discipline in our life. To make sure that this does not happen, prioritise discipline in all areas of your life. Make a chart and follow the rules until you get used to following a strict routine that is designed to bring out the best in you personally and professionally.