It’s odd to see the transformation discipline has taken over the course of my short life. When I was younger, and well before I was born, being disciplined was something everyone strived for. Growing up, I was raised by people who were a part of the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers; two generations whose core values were rooted by hard work, order, and routine. I can recall my father’s early morning workouts, my mother’s nightly reading, and my grandparents’ detailed daily routines. Their way of living kept them grounded and I’m sure they felt empowered by sticking to them as the years went by. They were highly disciplined.
Today’s models of discipline don’t look quite like my family. They’re hardened individuals with a seemingly otherworldly drive that few are blessed with. One person who immediately comes to my mind and exemplifies discipline is Kobe Bryant. Although his life was tragically cut short, his legacy is immortalized as the Mamba Mentality. I’ve recently purchased Kobe’s book, The Mamba Mentality for my home. In it, he goes into great detail about all that went into building his historic legacy. From early morning workouts, to two-a-days, relentlessly challenging himself and his teammates, even to the point of breaking. This is the model of discipline he exemplified for nearly two decades.
Another example is the man who originated the quote, “discipline equals freedom”. Jocko Willick is a hardened ex-navy seal. Highly decorated and unapologetic about who he is, Jocko has made it his life’s mission to show people the value of incorporating more discipline into their everyday lives. David Goggins, another hard mother fucker, shares how discipline has made him into the man he is today. David lambasts his viewers with the phrase, “stay hard!”, as he runs hundreds of miles shirtless and posts his disgusting feet on Instagram.
These are the images of discipline pop culture portrays for the rest of us. A hard, nearly unattainable existence.
As a result, discipline is a rare quality nowadays. Saying that makes me feel like a bitter old man but I’m just relaying what I see and feel. Unemployment remains high, the world’s favorite app diminishes attention spans, and many of us jump from one thing to another just to avoid feeling bored. As a result, society is experiencing the repercussions. Kids are nursing technology addictions, marriages are ending prematurely, and collectively we just hop from one catastrophe to the next.
I’m far from immune from this problem. While writing this article, I texted friends, checked IG a couple times, and took a coffee break. My lack of discipline is genuinely frightening.
But with discipline in such short supply, what does that mean for the future? By giving up our discipline, are we also doomed to lose our autonomy? And as much as we say we wanted freedom, did we really want it in the first place?
I think about all these questions and the perception I have on discipline because I’m concerned. Not for myself, but for the future. I see kids like my nephews struggle with the shortcomings that come from being undisciplined. Limited attention spans, giving up when things get difficult, not following through. The decisions that I am seeing them make now are not unlike the choices I made when I was a kid. Afterall, this is what kids naturally do. What’s different is the perception that is imprinted upon them by the world and time they are living in. And with discipline diminishing in general while simultaneously becoming more and more inaccessible, I wonder how they’ll learn to value it like I did.
And yet, I have by no means have lost hope. As true as I believe my observations are, time is on their side. Yes, I learned discipline from my family; I saw it first hand on a daily basis. Yet I don’t believe that was the ultimate impetus to me learning its value in my life. That catalyst came years later; when I chose to do comedy, or when I chose to learn guitar, or when I chose to prioritize my health, or when I chose to invest rather than spend. Choice, fueled by the deep value I had for myself, was the spark that ignited the flame of discipline. And as pessimistic as my current observations may seem, the power of an individual’s choice is far greater.
Discipline is no doubt a valuable key to human existence. For some, it can feel like it is THE key. And with discipline simultaneously becoming underutilized and unreachable, the future can seem dire. But I don’t know if it is THE key. I think it’s important and that people should learn to harness it for themselves, but I believe there is a grander variable at play. The power of to choose. At any moment, we can change our life or the life of someone else. All through our ability to choose to do it. That choice can never be taken away, no matter if we neglect it or someone tries to force their choices upon us, it won’t go away.
Choice, or said differently free-will, is granted to all of us by the sheer existence of consciousness. We can waste it, people can try to take it, or we can use it to our benefit. Whatever our choice is, the truth is that it always remains and it’s always accessible, no matter what. How’s that for hope?