The most important thing you can learn is to learn how to learn.
But the second most important thing you can learn is discipline. Few concepts are more misunderstood than what it means to be disciplined:
As human beings, we do lots of things that we don’t want to do. We spend energy, time and money we don’t want to spend. We fight over things we don’t want to fight over. We worry about things we shouldn’t worry about.
And then, on top of that, we have the things that we want to do, but don’t.
If you’re a disciplined person, you’ll get much more control over these things. And a better life as a result.
But here’s where it tends to go wrong for most people.
Most people believe that discipline is the act of forcing yourself to do things even if you aren’t up for it:
“If I force myself to do this today, then it might get easier tomorrow.”
I learnt discipline in the army. In the army, you don’t do things with the expectation that it will eventually become 'easier'. Because the more you can learn to handle today, the more you can take on tomorrow.
It’s not supposed to get easier; it’s supposed to get harder.
Professional fighters know this, also. Much of the battle is won during the years and months of meticulous preparations leading up to the fight.
With clear goals in highly competitive environments, the need for discipline emerges. Hence, discipline is nothing but the removal of everything that stands between you and your objectives.
Becoming more disciplined is not about summoning “strength of character” (whatever that is), but rather having the determination and accountability to remove all unnecessary distractions.
To live a more disciplined life, to live with purpose, like a soldier or fighter would, I suggest the practice of removing, at least, one distraction each day.
