A Word on Discipline

I know, what a topic? I mean c’mon, nobody likes to talk about discipline; whether it’s the practice of continuing to work a process at tasks that are difficult or using punishment to correct disobedience, discipline is a word that can raise alarm. The theme of discipline is not one that I had at the forefront of topic lists for a post until just the other day when I was sucked down the rabbit hole of viewing Facebook reels. I can’t remember exactly the person in the reel who was speaking, but I believe it was David Goggins (ultra-endurance athlete/author/speaker) himself!

Regardless, the video’s message was that life is all about alternative choices, both of which may both be difficult, with the consequences of the decisions we make in a particular situation possibly being “Hard”. Staying true to Goggins form, in this video he repeated the word “Hard”, either to describe a high level of difficulty or to denote all-around Badassness as only Goggins can. This particular reel and the vast other amount of content floating around fitting the theme of hard work at accomplishing goals brought a poem to mind which I had to search for…

Well, here it is…

Marriage is hard. Divorce is hard. Choose your hard.

Obesity is hard. Being fit is hard. Choose your hard.

Being in debt is hard. Being financially disciplined is hard. Choose your hard.

Communication is hard. Not communicating is hard. Choose your hard.

Life will never be easy. It will always be hard. But we can choose our hard.

Pick wisely.

– Devon Brough

I can already hear the skeptics among my readers discounting Brough’s poem or my wider inference by saying, “But we don’t choose every challenge that occurs, what about completely random accidents?” To that I reply with a quote often thought to originate from that wise American sage Forrest Gump’s 1994 self-titled movie, that yes, “Shit happens”. Take a difficult medical diagnosis, an adverse act of nature, or even being born into a disadvantaged situation for that matter, all certainly challenges not brought on by personal decisions. We do have a choice in how we react or respond to challenges. Many of us are probably familiar with the quote from American pastor Charles Swindoll, and best-selling book, “Life Is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React” and while we may disagree on the percentages, discipline may be the statement’s most powerful variable.

It is discipline in aligning our behavior and thoughts with the vision for our life that determines the situations in which we find ourselves, and furthermore, how we react to things that we have seemingly no part in bringing about that ultimately determines the future. It would be Pollyanna of me to say that living an intentional life aligned with our hopes and dreams can eliminate all difficulty or tragedy from life, but discipline can certainly help prevent adversity and help bring about more desirable outcomes.

While it may seem an oversimplification; I can’t help but see much of life as the choice between discipline now or later. Whether it’s my preexisting impulsivity magnified by TBI or that human preference for instant rather than delayed gratification, choosing discipline rather than pushing the proverbial EASY BUTTON tends to be a tough choice.