I have been trying to teach my 10 year-old son about self-discipline. He enters middle school next year, he still has a few lessons to learn about personal responsibility (i.e., turning in homework, doing chores, etc.)–not unlike us adults.
Self-discipline must be trained. It requires conscious effort, restraint, and habit. Self-discipline is what makes the hard things in life less hard (maybe, eventually, easier).
Eighteen days ago, I started a 21-day challenge. I decided that I would get up at 4 AM every day (Sunday through Saturday). This wasn’t tremendously difficult Monday-Friday as my alarm is normally set for 4:20 on weekdays, but, considering that the clock change (“spring forward”) occurred in the midst of these twenty-one days and that weekends are my only days to “sleep in”, the weekends have been hard. Forcing this challenge upon myself has afforded me several benefits. The biggest has been that it has given me greater structure and has added self-discipline to numerous areas of my life.
I have a small window for exercise in the morning. My alarm has been set at 4:20 so I can hit the snooze once or twice and still get up, get dressed, take care of the pets’ needs, and get a weights workout in by 5:30, when my wife needs to workout. After this, I would prepare lunches, eat, shower, press a shirt for the day, dress, get the kids up, fed, and off to the bus, then leave around 7:30 for my hour-plus commute to work. Somewhere in there, I need to journal and set myself up for the day. Needless to say, the journaling was either rushed or skipped. I was not well prepared to be “well-centered.”
Challenging myself required that I get up at the sound of the alarm (surprisingly, on numerous days I woke minutes before the alarm sounded). I gave myself no room to hit the snooze or convince myself that the morning ritual could be skipped for a day. Indeed, there were days that I wanted to skip the morning exercise, but, because I had to be up anyhow, I did not. There was never any discussion in my head. The alarm goes off. I get up. No exceptions.
This one action has enabled me to be more discipled in other areas, as well. Waking at 4 AM has: 1) caused me to go to bed at a more regular hour (and I am actually sleeping better as my hormonal cycles and sleep cycles become better controlled), 2) I have not missed a morning workout (and morning workouts are legs–if you have ever squatted or deadlifted at 5 AM, you know how easily self-talk can convince you that your body would be better off resting!), 3) I am journalling daily as a start to my day, not as a mere component of my day (my thoughts and reflections are more purposeful and directed), and 4) I am finding it easier to establish other well-centered routines (e.g., our “15-min Check-In”, opting for podcasts rather than radio during the commute–and podcasts, informational videos, and TedTalks rather than streaming television during my cardio sessions–etc.).
Most importantly, this challenge has been an example to my children. I am demonstrating the importance of routine and self-discipline. Both children are taking to journaling. Each in his and her own way, but it is finding its way into their lives. They are learning to plan and prioritize.
One of the best ways to develop self-disciple is to take command over our time. We all have 24 hours in the day (even with daylight saving time!). How disciplined we are with our time determines our productivity and well-centeredness. Prioritizing time for the spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional, and social dimensions of our wellbeing, and understanding the concept of “opportunity cost” is key to (extra)ordinary success. What is one act of self-disciple you can begin to form as habit, today?
Be your best today; be better tomorrow! Carpe momento!