Discipline Is Disciple-Ing

If the word discipline arose from the Latin word for pupil, then no wonder it is so closely related to another word, a word that is much more positive— disciple. That’s how I ended the last article. And because both words— discipline/ disciple— are so intimately connected, when you are disciplined, you are a disciple. The only question is, “You are a disciple to what or to whom?” That brings me to Jim Collins’ quotation in Good to Great.

“There is no effectiveness without discipline, and there is no discipline without character.”

Ah, character! It was the actor Michael J. Fox who said, “Discipline is just doing the same thing the right way whether anyone’s watching or not.” That’s another description of character. And that implies something critical about discipline—it arises from, and is dependent upon, being self-referent rather than other-referent. If you are always referring to others and you are always carrying about what others think, say, and do, then you are living your life to please them, to be on their good side, to not upset them, etc. Do that and you probably will not even know what you want, what you believe in, what you value.

Character refers to deeply knowing and living from your own authority—to be the author of your own life. This is the inner discipline that is required in order to achieve outer discipline. In fact, without this piece, all of your effort for outer discipline will indeed feel hard and forced. It is when you live from out of your inner beliefs and values, live from the inside—out, that you can begin to develop the kind of discipline that will carry you through in achieving your goals.

Perhaps this is what Aristotle meant when he said, “Through self-discipline comes freedom” — namely the freedom to truly be yourself. And it was the famous Anonymous who wrote, “Your level of success is determined by your level of discipline and perseverance.” The bottom line: discipline comes from your inside world. It comes from you being true to you—to your capacities, talents, and potentials. Now you have the character to persist, to commit, and to be resilient.

So, name your discipline. What discipline (course of study) do you want to give yourself to? What discipline (course of action) would you like to become a disciple? I am a disciple of my own well-being which means health, energy, vitality, and fitness. I have been for a long time. Accordingly, I have read and studied in that area, and that led to writing books in that area (Games Fit and Slim People Play), as well as training manuals (The Neuro-Semantics of Health, Unleashing Vitality). It led me to get into running in my mid-20s as well as other sports: cross-country skiing, mountain climbing, racquetball, etc. Today I go to the gym five days a week and Geraldine and I hike mountain trails.

Going to the gym for me is at the same time a disciplined way of life (a lifestyle) and a commitment to my understandings, beliefs, values, and decisions. Given that, I never think of it as hard or unpleasant. It’s actually the opposite—I look forward to it, I revel when I feel a good healthy exhaustion at the end, I anticipate learning new techniques, I delight in being able to reach some new goals that I set for myself. So yes, I have become a disciple of the gym.

The bottom line is that discipline requires character and your character enables you to become a disciplined person, a disciple. When your course of study (knowledge) becomes a course of action (implementation), then you have closed the knowing–doing gap. You have used a basic mind-to-muscle process so that what you know, you do. This explains why for any disciplined person, there’s no idea of pain or punishment in it at all. Instead it is integrity and integration. It is the freedom of being your best self.

I would not be my best self if I didn’t read 2 to 3 hours every day (well, except when I’m engaged in doing a training). Reading extensively activates my mind and my creativity so that I can write, and write a lot. When people ask how I can write 2 or 3 articles every week, plus manuals and books, I usually look at them as if they have asked a really weird question. For me it’s like asking “How can you breathe in and out all day; isn’t that tiring on your heart and lungs?” I write first of all so that I can learn, and then secondly, to share ideas and insights with others. As some of you have noticed, I never run out of things to write! I find the ‘discipline’ of reading and writing exciting. How could it not be? I’m a disciple to reading and writing. And when you are a disciple, you have a new degree of freedom as you are liberated from ‘work.’ Now everything is play and fun. Now you will never again “work” a day in your life again. So, what are you a disciple of?

For More, see—
Inside–Out (2022). It is a PDF book on the Shop.