Discipline
Discipline Is Misunderstood: Here’s Why Giving 100% Isn’t the Answer and What Works
Is our understanding of discipline flawed?
Is our understanding of discipline flawed?
I adhere to a strict routine for myself, which includes taking care of my sleep, exercise, diet, reading and meditation. Although I maintain this 6 days a week but I still fall back some days.
I used to feel guilty if a day goes by without sticking to my routine. I would get hard on myself for not being disciplined.
But guess what? It wasn’t a discipline problem, it was my lack of understanding about it.
Most people need to understand what it means to be truly disciplined. They think it’s about giving 100% in every moment and being able to push ourselves to the highest limits every day.
True discipline isn’t about pushing yourself to the limit.
We’re not machines that can operate at 100% efficiency. Sadly, that’s how we think discipline works — giving your all without fail.
It’s impossible, even for those who claim otherwise. Humans don’t function this way!
If you approach discipline this way, you’ll burn out.
It’s easy to get exhausted. Every time you open social media, people say that you need to be disciplined to succeed. Everyone tells you to run each day and if you stop, you’re a loser, a procrastinator, and not disciplined.
Success demands discipline, but this idea is flawed because it lacks complete understanding.
When I understood this, that’s when I stopped being hard on myself and instead felt proud of being consistent regardless of setbacks, which will always come.
Those setbacks can stop or slow you down for a moment but what matters is how quickly you get back to normal.
What if true discipline is more about consistency than intensity?
Yes! It’s not about the force with which you move or how fast you are. It all comes down to who is ready to do what’s needed every single day, even if some days you fall back or lack effort.
Being able to keep going a little bit every day is what matters.
This is where consistency takes over discipline.
The truly disciplined are not disciplined by how much they give every day. They are disciplined by simply giving every day.
Pushing yourself to the limit daily is a recipe for burnout, not success.
What works, then?
There is a thin difference between discipline and consistency.
Discipline is about sticking to your plan and saying, “I’m going to do this because it’s important.” Consistency entails creating a plan and following it consistently every day. It’s about making sure you keep going, one step at a time.
While discipline will tell you to run 10 steps a day, consistency will tell you to run 2 steps a day for the next 5 days. We all know which one is sustainable. Some days, it’s more, and some days, it’s less, but what matters is that you’re moving forward.
Discipline is like fire, and consistency is about keeping that fire burning every day.
You don’t have to burn as high as a bonfire each day. Someday, the fire can be as small as a matchstick, but it should never be put out.
So anyone who claims to be 100% disciplined 24/7 is either fooling themselves or it’s you.
The real high achievers understand this. This distinguishes them from average performers.
Sometimes it’s 20%, sometimes it’s 40%, sometimes it’s 50%, sometimes it’s 80%, and some rare times it’s 100%. But they give it every day! They show up every day. They put in the work every day.
Discipline isn’t about being 100% every day. It’s about showing up every day.
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