Do you have discipline?
Google Discipline. Did you get what you expected?
Discipline has it origins in Latin. Its root; knowledge and instruction. Today the dictionary adds; using punishment. You can thank the French for that.
There was a time when personal discipline brought images of soldiers, knights, and shaolin warriors. As a kid, I spent many a rainy or cold weekend afternoon watching movies predicated on the principle. Young men (and sometimes women) setting aside their headstrong ways to engage in an epic montage of physical training often set to otherwise forgettable 80s rock.
Discipline made boys into men. Well, except Ralph Macchio who I guess was already a man that happened to look like a boy… Through hard work, regimen, and repetition — skills were developed, fears were overcome, and awkward looking boys the world over were transformed into mental giants like; Schwarzenegger, Van Damme, and Stallone (ok, clearly Hollywood has an easier time with the physical aspects of discipline).
Sadly, these days, the training montage is the fodder of comedies and often leaves out any aspect of real discipline. Let’s face it — discipline isn’t funny. But a man in a wheel chair hurling wrenches at adult dodge ball players — that’s hysterical!
Serious movie discipline — think Private Pyle from Full Metal Jacket or the Albino Henchman from the Da Vinci code — has become dark and scary…
And yet, as I have written previously, children lead the way. Google search is filled with links to hundreds of websites on child discipline. Bookstores are filled with volumes of the same. It’s a strong and growing industry.
An even larger industry has grown from people’s willingness to pay for discipline in their life. Diet plans, fitness programs, and The Biggest Loser draw the attention and the discretionary funds of millions across the United States.
Maybe I have missed something? Perhaps technology has made discipline irrelevant? Spell checkers, calendars, iPhones, and the like certainly provide a great crutch for our grammar, timeliness, and memory. Even our toothbrushes now do the brushing for you. And Americans barely have the patience to watch a montage, let alone engage in real disciplined training…
But then why is it good for our kids? Certainly they are better at technology than many of us…
Why do adults give so much money to the disciplines offered to keep us from getting fat and unhealthy? With all that money — shouldn’t Google or Amazon have built a technology to take care of that, too?
Discipline is hard. It takes time, energy, and focus. It is about overcoming the fears, laziness, and imperfections within us that keep us from succeeding. And it often works where nothing else can — not even technology. This is why we invest in it for our children and why we turn to it when our health has us worried. And — it can be a little scary. A fear Hollywood happily exploits.
But Hollywood has also given us stories to inspire us. At the end of that 80’s rock ballad, when the montage comes to an end, the hero emerges ready to take on any adversity. The student is now the master. And it is discipline that will save the day.
So ask yourself. Have you established personal discipline in your career? Have you thought about what that really means? How much could your career benefit if you invested in the right training and practice? Do you even know where to find it?
Originally published at www.linkedin.com.
