Discipline has always had a negative connotation attached to it, not just that always received a sharp rap even when someone mentions it. I hated discipline when I was subjected to it. My dad was an ex-army personnel and he made sure all of us followed a set of rules that he had laid out for us, of course with our best interests in mind.
Waking up day after day at 5 a.m. and going to church was one of them, we had to walk a couple of kms up and down sometimes on cold mornings when the warmth of the bed beckoned you invitingly.
Being at home at 6 p.m. no matter where we went was another rule we had to follow. At the stroke of six my siblings and I deserted our friends and ran back home every day.
6-8.30 in the evening was our study time and there were a lot more like these. None of this felt or sounded like fun at that time. My siblings and I hated it. We whined and complained behind dad's back.
However, looking back at those routines now, I know for sure that my dad did us a huge favor. These routines provided us structure and stability growing up. It was the beginnings of character formation. All of us have turned out well.
Even today, what I learned back in those days works for me. It makes it easy for me to wake up early, get my work done on time. I am always on time for any meeting and live out my commitments thanks to my dad's discipline.
Now, even though I do not have to do any of these things my body wakes up early, I cannot sit idle and watch TV for more than 30 minutes at a stretch. I can never watch a movie and if I ever do, I work simultaneously on something else.
I find it easier to focus on anything I do, because of my training. I persevere till I reach my goals, I usually need no external motivation, I can drive myself around and sometimes on autopilot too.
Discipline works for me. It makes life so easy that I do not have to fight against myself. To put it simply,
- Discipline has enabled some routines to become deeply ingrained in my psyche which allows me to work on auto mode, I multitask with ease.
- Things get done without much effort.
- Almost always on time .
- I don't come up with excuses.
- There is always time for unscheduled activities as well.
- Life is much more structured and easy.
I have passed most of this to my children, they may not follow it too well (just like I never did back then), but I am sure that someday they will thank me for it. I guess one already does 😀
Discipline is never a bad thing especially if it can get things working for you. It is worth trying. You may not like it, you don't like bitter medicines either (especially natural medicine) you still take them so you can get better, don't you?
Life isn't always about what we like or don't, it is about how we can make the best of it. Discipline helps you get there.
I enjoy being disciplined and still have fun!