#169 The discipline muscle

Discipline, like many of the most important muscles in our body which are not flashy, is one of the quintessential components of any great achievement. Just because the muscles responsible for keeping our spine attached to our hips will never be seen, does not mean they are not important to work.

As a human, fundamentally our life is the product of our labor. Without discipline our emotions become the taskmaster of our lives, letting us eat what we want when we want, giving up when things get hard and essentially anything that falls into the category of instant gratification. Lack of discipline is a real life-ruiner.

All organisms are subject to the law of adaptation. In order to adapt, they must be stressed. Like a bicep in the gym it has to pushed to its limits frequently, consistently and for some time. A good way to strengthen your discipline muscle comes down to THREE EASY STEPS.

1. Have a goal.

2. Make a plan.

3. Follow the plan

It is literally as simple as that IF YOU DO THE WORK. The problem is that most people are lazy, so they won’t, hence the “lose 50 lbs in 3 weeks culture” versus a sustainable and healthy solution where the prerequisite is simply self control. So before you expect any long term change, make sure you’ve spent the time flexing your discipline muscle first.