Do it yourself

Sri Aurobindo said nothing can be taught. Think about it. All that we have learnt in life is because we have been open to the learning. Similarly, no one has to teach us discipline, though parents, teachers and bosses try doing it all their lives. Discipline has to come from within us.

Discipline is not about regulation. It is often confused with limitation. It is about how we design our lives, our work and our thoughts. It is about allowing willpower to grow in strength so that it can help us discipline ourselves.

Is there a lot of pending work that you are not finishing though you easily can? Are you eating more than your body wants? Do you want to be in shape by exercising, but keep postponing it? Do you want to reach out to friends, but are just too lazy to pick up the phone and call? Ponder. Do you have a discipline problem that can easily be corrected?
You want to quit smoking, but cannot. You can’t hold more than two drinks, but easily reach out for the third one. If we understand that we are the architects of the kind of discipline we have, we can easily rectify it.

One way to inculcate discipline to bring in a method in the madness of our lives is to consciously do the things we subconsciously do not want to do. Tell yourself that you have a willpower of steel and just quit smoking. Keep sending positive messages of how strong you are, how you are not a victim of desire, how you are not a slave of addiction. Giving up something you like may not seem easy, but it is not impossible.

You are trying to cut down on your obesity and wanted sugar out. But you love it. When you see that barfi or jalebi, you cannot resist. Do not make excuses to have it. Instead look at it, smile and say no to yourself. If you keep doing these exercises, you will see how easy it is to discipline yourself. Do not say things like: “I do not have any major addictions, I only need to have ten cups of tea everyday.”

Cut it down to two or three. You want to feel agile with exercise but just cannot get up at 6 am. Keep an alarm that is so far from your bed so that you cannot shut it up. Exercise till it hurts and take pride in it.

Do not try to shy away from self-discipline saying it is restrictive. Instead, see it as something that helps you oil your life better for a smoother ride. The lack of self-discipline could end up wrecking lives, destroying goals and real dreams.

Ramesh Menon is a journalist and corporate trainer