Freedom From Discipline

Photo by MJ S on Unsplash

This week, I’d like to pause from direct story-related concepts and expand on something that I mention frequently: discipline. Maybe you just cringed, but I believe that discipline is manageable and achievable for everyone, and that it has wonderful benefits if you stick with it.

Jocko Willink wrote a book called, Discipline Equals Freedom. I’ve not read it, but I see the truth in that simple title. I don’t know anyone who describes discipline as being something enjoyable or pleasant. And most people certainly wouldn’t label it “freedom.”

Discipline is tough. Failure is almost guaranteed at some point. And sometimes, it doesn’t seem worth it.

A Battle with Legalism: the thing discipline is not

Starting in my early teens, I went through a five or six-year period of depression and terror that stemmed from a deep insecurity about my relationship with God. I won’t go into the details, but I slipped into unmanageable legalism to the point of me being nearly unfunctional, insane, and mentally shot. They were the worst years of my life.

As I came out of them, it’s understandable that I wanted to steer as far as possible from any rule-setting for myself. I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t ditch moral laws, but I didn’t set personal boundaries for myself either.

After I graduated, I chose not to go to college, but didn’t begin working right away. I’d sleep through my alarm in the mornings, but I was always tired. I procrastinated writing; I had all day to work on revisions, poems, whatever I wanted, but I progressed very slowly. I ate whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. For two years, I had all the time in the world, but I never seemed to get anything done. I didn’t get it. I used to be able to finish loads of chores by noon and have plenty of free time, but now, a few simple tasks took all day.

I wanted to change. I began to crave the benefits of discipline. I wanted to see myself accomplish things throughout the day. I wanted to become physically stronger. I needed to eat healthier. And so, I’d start. I’d exercise for a few minutes every day doing workouts that I hated, namely push-ups or sporadic runs. I cut out junk food—not food that was for every day meals—just the desserts and candy we can all live without. It would go great…sometimes…for a little. And then I’d end up right back where I started. Not writing, not exercising, and eating chocolate between lunch and dinner. It was all self-gratifying and…miserable.

The Motivation

It wasn’t until I got my job that I truly began to see a change. My boss is an incredibly self-disciplined individual, and as I spent more time around him—not even talking about discipline—I wanted to do better, to be better.

I started seeing a difference between discipline and legalism. Legalism is slavery. Discipline is a choice. Legalism offers no grace. Discipline gives the freedom to fail…and to get right back up. Legalism reminds you of all the failures and makes you guilty. Discipline says it’s okay to flunk; it happens. But keep going anyway.

I began sticking to harder things, because that’s what my boss would do. I’m grateful for his example because it’s changed me. Knowing what he would do helped me to not give up, even when placed in a situation that I hated and wanted to run from—sometimes a situation that I still want to run from because it’s hard, not fun, and I’d rather do something else.

William McRaven’s book, Make Your Bed, helped me to begin setting small goals for myself that I could accomplish. Those goals, when combined, added up to become something greater. I began doing short, manageable exercises that I didn’t hate, so that I’d have the motivation to continue. I cut out junk food sugars completely, only allowing myself to have them once a week. When it gets tough, I remind myself of a principle from the Bible: enduring when it’s tough or undeserved is when it’s truly commendable.

And lastly, blogging has helped. I began writing about discipline and its importance. I encouraged you to be Faithful In Little, Faithful In Much, and I figured I’d better start practicing what I preach. You readers give me accountability. I don’t want to be a talker. I want to be a doer.

Discipline isn’t perfection in one hundred things at once. It’s persistent excellence in small things, day by day. Perseverance is helped by looking at others who have gone before you and telling yourself, “They did it; I can too.” Making the start is the hardest part, and this short post, Liftoff, from the Mindset Matters blog illustrates that perfectly.

It hasn’t been easy—and I often do struggle with accepting failure—but you know what? I get more done in the day. I don’t sleep past my alarm. I make my bed. I do my chores. I go to work. I blog. I write. And sometimes, I even have free time left over. It makes me feel accomplished.

Why Discipline?

But there was still something missing. And that was the “Why?” I knew I wanted to be a better individual, but…why? Is all this work and discomfort worth it? When I stand before God, will I realize that I wasted my time on stuff that didn’t count for eternity?

I don’t think so. God tells us to excel in our work and to do all that we do to glorify Him. And when we practice disciplining ourselves, putting boundaries up, becoming faithful in the small things, He will use all of that to prepare us for the story He has written for us to walk through.

When we put ourselves in a place where we can achieve small things, hard things—all things—it gives us the freedom to give to Him and others even more with our time and resources. Most people look for freedom from discipline, not realizing the freedom that comes from discipline.

I’ll admit, this is a scary post to write. I’m not impeccable. I will never reach perfection. I’m afraid to tell you all of this, and then fall into another unstructured pattern. I’m afraid to sound prideful. I’m afraid to discourage you.

But that’s not the point. I wanted to share the reason for why I blog the way I do.

This is to encourage you to subject yourself for the good in the end. Set up small things that you will succeed at and increase in difficulty. Your disciplines might not be the same as mine; don’t compare yourself. And lastly, keep your eyes ahead on a new goal: don’t quit, even in the hardest moments. You can do it—not for yourself, but to encourage others to succeed in their own lives because they’re watching you.

It’s not easy, but there’s a quote that goes something like this: “I don’t stop when I’m tired. I stop when I’m done.”

So keep going.

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not: nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not: the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” - Calvin Coolidge

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Discipline isn’t perfection…It’s persistent excellence in small things, day by day.

What small thing can be the kickstart for your success in discipline?
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