Читать книгу The Power of Discipline - Raimon Samsó - Страница 8

In this chapter, I will explain:

1. The muscle of self-discipline

2. How do I apply it?

3. The kryptonite of discipline

The Muscle of Self-Discipline

The good discipline is self-discipline, otherwise it is imposition (an order from someone else). In other words: discipline is not imposed; one is gifted with it. Can discipline be taught and learned? Of course, as any skill can, and here we are, you and me.

The Dalai Lama once said that true discipline is not imposed. It can only come from within ourselves; I agree, one hundred percent. As you will see, self-discipline is self-esteem, and love cannot be imposed; it is a choice, or even more, it is a surrender, and that is how I understand the nature of discipline.

Self-discipline = Self-esteem

Let us continue. To me, there are two kinds of disciplines: internal and external. The first has to do with the attentive observation of thoughts, beliefs and feelings. The second has to do with behaviors, habits and actions. To have discipline, you first have to be disciplined. As always, being comes before doing. To behave in a determined way, first you have to be someone who corresponds with that behavior, internally.

1. Internal discipline.

2. External discipline.

Metaphors help us to understand, and here is one that will help you visualize discipline as a skill that can be harnessed and trained. The same as if you went to a gym or to the track. When you understand that discipline is a muscle that expands with use, and that elevates your life as it grows, you will not stop training it to develop it at your leisure. You will sculpt your life.

“I believe that self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it becomes.” Daniel Goldstein

But be careful, muscles also need rest. Training demands a time for recovery. If you exhaust your discipline, you are forcing the machine of will. You abandon inspiration and enter transpiration, what before was pleasure becomes effort. You no longer generate energy, but rather expend it, and that weakens you. You go from power to force.

Let us say that, every day, you wake up with a reserve of mental and physical energy, and every decision you make spends part of that total available balance. When, at mid-morning, you exhaust your daily reserve, you end up making either bad decisions, or spending more time that would otherwise be required to make those decision (or simply postponing them).

To not waste that energy, you must convert as many decisions into programmed routines or habits in which you can delegate the decision making process. That way, you are not “clawing after” the results that you are seeking, but rather “get on” a habit, and that habit takes you there.

You leave your home in the morning, and your chauffeur (a habit) at the wheel of a Marine Blue Bentley Continental (programmed routine) that takes you where you tell him to go (results)... Sounds good, right? Well, you will see that it gets even better as we go along. You can get an entire fleet of vehicles at your disposal, but first, you must “build it.”

Look, the only way I know to recharge your energy is by love, the strongest force in the universe. This takes us to the next universal principle:

Everything by devotion, nothing by obligation.

I am serious: do not force yourself to anything. You have tried that strategy before, and it has not worked... more than likely it backfired on you. Acknowledge it.

For that reason, in this entire book you will never read me praise the “force of will,” because, in reality, you do not need it at all. If, at any time, you find yourself forcing yourself to do something... you’re going all wrong about it. If your strategy is based on forcing your will, you are playing against yourself. In my unlimited discipline method, the source of energy comes from passion.

The fatigue from the imposed discipline occurs when we enter in the mode of attrition, “force of will.” It is a scam.

The good discipline that I will speak to you about, of self-esteem in action, may tire your body and mind, but it will never exhaust your spirit. They are different things, think about it. Every task requires that you rest at some point, but when it is well oriented, it does not demand quitting or abandoning it. When you understand this, you understand how life operates. My life philosophy does not entail using strength, but rather being guided by inner power.

Can you be disciplined in all you do? No, of course not, only in that which you are passionate about, that which is your priority, that which you love. Being disciplined in what you detest is masochism, a sad self-flagellation. That is why you may have heard many personal development authors insist in the importance of dedicating your life to that which you love to do. Why? Because they know you will never be disciplined in that which you do not love!

What has been said: train the muscle of discipline, use it daily, and recover over the weekend; that way, you will develop the Superpower of Champions. Discipline has the power to give you everything.

How do I Apply It?

When you simplify your trivial decisions, you reserve mental energy and time for those that are important. Will, concentration and focus. You are a laser, and you move at light speed. You get more results, quicker.

Less is more.

Less decisions, more time and more energy available.

More discipline, less wavering.

When you simplify decision making, you automate processes. For example, where and what you have for breakfast. Decide now, and then become your choice, in an automation in which there is no coming back to think until a new order is given.

For what? To pass to focus in another detail in your life, another, more important, detail. A habit like this prevents you from spending time every morning thinking about what to eat, and where. In my case, I have two types of preestablished breakfasts: regular mode and intermittent fasting mode. Once I decide in what mode I am starting my day, the rest is already part of a protocol.

Even though it may seem trivial, it is the sum of many trivial decisions, such as that one, taken daily, that exhaust your mental energy. Remember that we said that you have a daily reserve? And that, once spent, bad decisions are made...

More examples, in my case:

 I always have the same thing for breakfast, even if I am staying at a hotel.

 I establish different supplement packages for the morning, afternoon and evening.

 I use a single brand of shoes, that I buy online (I have no need to try them on).

 I always dress in the same color, and buy the same pieces, from a single brand. I only use jeans, for their versatility. Because I know my sizes well, I can buy everything online.

 I always start my day the same, exercising at home: a strength and stretching routine.

 I always get out of bed at the same time: at six in the morning, it does not matter the day nor the hours I have slept. I made that decision years ago, and I am still applying it.

 I finish my day with the same ritual or routine actions to close the house and get ready for bed.

 I assign a maximum of three relevant tasks per day and start with the most complex.

 I set a limit of work hours per day, which makes me more productive.

 I do not accept any proposal or project that does not resonate with me.

 I do not usually answer the phone, although I do return calls.

 I only demand of myself to take a new step every day, but I do not accept anything less.

 I reinvent myself every year, professionally, at least once.

 I simplify my work every year, adjusting it to the Pareto principle.

 I chose to increase my income by at least 25% every year.

 I set a goal of writing at least one book per year, minimum.

 I research nutrition to hack my performance, my health and my biology.

 etc.…

All these decisions become programmed micro-routines, mini-habits, and make me free up time to center on other, more relevant, things. By simplifying my decisions, they are already made, and I can focus on priorities.

That is how people of high-performance act and, despite it appearing boring at first, when you try it, you will regret not having started automating your trivial decisions before. And no, it is not an automatic life, dehumanized nor robotic... Changing decisions for habits and mini-habits will lead to a full a satisfactory life.

“You will never change your life unless you change something you do every day.” John C. Maxwell

Look at how I organize myself:

 What will I wear today? For me, that is not a problem, I decided it years ago.

 What will I do today? That which is most significant and valuable. I flow.

 What will I eat today? Food selected with a criterion to not poison my body.

 What is my objective today? To be happy and not drag myself toward any objective (to not need anything). That is success.

 What is my sole decision for today? To wake up every time I fall asleep in the Matrix.

 How much will I write today? One thousand words.

 How much will I read today? As much as I can.

My objective is to have less objectives. My decision is to make less decisions.

Give this idea a couple of turns in your head, until you discover how much stress you can rid yourself of. Stress kills as often as a highway. And, meanwhile, keep chipping away at whatever it is that constitutes your contribution to the world. The philosophy of the mini-habit, do a little every day, is part of my philosophy. Yes, it resonates with me, as much as Kaizen’s philosophy does: little, constant improvements. To achieve greatness through small actions.

My advice: if you’re not doing well, apply yourself 100%, with discipline; if you’re doing wonderfully, apply yourself 200%, with double the discipline. There is nothing more fleeting that success. And never forget, that which drove you to success, discipline, is the only thing that will keep you in it.

The Kryptonite of Discipline

If you have read or watched movies about Superman, you will know that his power was annihilated by a green mineral: Kryptonite. Humans too have an Achilles Heel, a weakness that sabotages a standard of superior results. Identifying it and avoiding should be our task.

Additionally, any self-respecting superhero has antagonistic peers at their level: super villains, or immensely vile individuals. But do not get angry at them, they are not there as an obstacle, but rather to help. They are a subconscious resource that we use to make our deliriums of uniqueness fail. Believe me, no one is special, not even superheroes. You know where you come from, and must remember that you can return there (or to a worse place) in a flash.

Super villains, obstacles and resistances to discipline are there to test you. They are a way for you to measure how much you want what it is you want. If you really want to achieve something, none of them will be an impediment for you. But if you give up, you did not want it enough, and it would be best to give it to someone who appreciates it more. Now, if you defeat your opponents, you do are not really defeating them, but rather triumph over yourself. You recover your life and its meaning. Discipline is the reminder of what you want.

“Leaders are those that do what others are not willing to do, even though they may not like it. They have the discipline required to do what they know is important and right, instead of what is easy and fun.” Robin Sharma

And these are the enemies, the kryptonite, of discipline:

 Procrastination

 Low Self-esteem

 Impatience

 Sloth

 Fear

 Excuses

 …

Do you recognize them? Sometimes they present themselves with a mask of surreal reasoning. All this kryptonite is cured with discipline’s antidote. A good dose of discipline while fasting, before breakfast, and everything will be A-OK. When the excuse comes, you are already working, and your door has a sign that reads: “Do not disturb, I am building an incredible life.” And the excuse will have to go somewhere else with its sad tune.

When you postpone your action, it is often because you do not know how things will go. Act anyway. Start, and then God will have the final say.

☞ Press the Start button.

When you fear not being up to par, not being capable, or not being able, it is because you do not love yourself enough. You will not love your dreams if you do not love yourself first.

☞ Press the Love button.

When you give up before starting, it is because you need immediate results, you do not trust the process enough, you do not trust life enough, or yourself, for that matter.

☞ Press the Blind Faith button.

When you keep telling yourself that you will start tomorrow, and become embroiled in other matters, it is because you are a victim of your own inertia.

☞ Press the Immediate Launch button.

When you feel fear of what people might say, or of failure, of not achieving it, it is because you chose to see the negative, and not the positive. ☞ Press the Optimism button.

When you drown yourself in your own excuses, it is because you want the result, but not the process that leads to it.

☞ Press the Commitment button.

If you do not achieve what you wish, it is not the fault of the obstacles, but that of the lack of commitment.

And where are those buttons? You will surely ask. As if it were as simple as pressing a button and extinguishing all these resistances in a swift stroke. Well, in reality, there is no button to press, but you have something better: a heart to follow.

Touch your heart with this question: Will this lead to what I really want? And, if you are silent enough, your heart will answer sincerely.

Simply follow it. He knows.

The three ideas in two phrases:

1. Self-discipline is a muscle that becomes stronger with use. When you are disciplined in an area of your life, it is easier to be disciplined in other areas, because you recognize the benefits.

2. Applying yourself to daily, simple and mundane chores is the key to start working on complex tasks. As you do one thing, whatever it is, you do everything in life.

3. Every excuse that you can come up with has an antidote that annihilates it, apply it generously. In the end, you will discover that the whole problem is a lack of love.