Pos & Neg

What does discipline mean to you? A simple question to answer, one would think. However, beyond the quick, apparent answers that come to mind. When someone is punished or having excellent self-control, have you delved into what discipline means in all areas of your life? 

It is easy when a person is messing up to associate discipline as a negative word—causing a downward spiral into the abyss of negativity. From an early age, if a child is punished constantly for everything, why would a child have any positive thoughts about discipline?

From an early age, if a child is encouraged to have self-control in every part of their lives. They will develop a positive relationship with the word discipline; this is not to say they won’t have to face punishment for doing wrong. Instead, it is a means of setting up a balance, realizing that punishment is a form of correction to stay the course of self-control to achieve accomplishments. 

Self-control

When I think of discipline, self-control is what comes to my mind first. I believe once you have internalized the concept of self-control, you have achieved a balance in your thoughts. Balance is what you should be looking to achieve in your everyday walk down the paths you find yourself going. 

Often we are our own worse enemy when it comes to punishing ourselves. Especially if you do not think of punishments as positive enforcement to correct the endeavors you are on.  

Looking at the simple realm of physical improvement. Lift too heavy with incorrect form; you are going to hurt yourself. When you are younger, you can get away with incorrect lifts to a degree because your body will recover quicker. Do this when you get older; it may slow you down indefinitely. One needs to correct their form and work their way up. Self-control

Punishment

Positive or negative is instilled early on in one’s life. However, the view of punishment can be changed if one realizes that it is for their improvement. Punishment requires change; what can you do to avoid punishment? 

The type of punishment given can significantly influence your thoughts here. If you’re beaten into submission every time you do something wrong, you will eventually change, though this leaves a very strong negative outlook. Think of when you were a child and punished, or you saw other children punished in the form of a beating (and I am talking more than just a swat). No one wants to take a beating.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, you do something wrong, and the punishment is a conversation of what you did wrong with consequences that equal the manner of what you did, maybe more chores, in sports doing laps, the military could be push-ups. All of these punishments add stress that, in the long term, will help you improve overall. They suck but become net positives of discipline. 

Training

Plain and simple, you can not have good training without discipline. Without self-control and course correction, how will one learn to be better? From learning to not putting your hand on a hot stove or sticking your finger in an electrical socket to becoming good in sports or academia.

From working on your physique, broadening your mind, growing spiritually, all areas of your life require discipline to improve. 

Working out once a month is not enough; having consistent training will get you to your goals. 

Thinking you know all you need with stagnate you, one should always continue to be learning. Be it book learning or learning from others.

Your spiritual side can take on several forms, your belief in a higher power or powers, your force of will, the determination you have to take on life.

One does not simply wake up one morning being the best at anything. It takes a lot of work to get there, which requires discipline to stay the course and see what you have set out to do through to the end. They may very well not be an end, and that is ok. 

Study

One more area I want to look at is fields of discipline (study), which I think the word discipline is used more in higher educations circles and not thought of to use in daily life. However, many of us would do well starting to use this word in our lives. Moving from a simple word of study to a stronger word of discipline adds more meaning to what you are going after.

Why use a five-dollar word when you can use a one-dollar one? Because you then add a mental structure and a natural outline to your pursuits. It becomes more than a casual study of a passing interest into a deep dive. In school, I studied many subjects because they were required, not that I had any genuine interest in them. 

Whereas I wanted to become a mechanic, it became a discipline, diving deep into all the aspects to become better and my chosen profession. 

The same can be said for fitness. Over the years, I have worked out and did physical things all the time. Yet, I did not delve deep into my fitness till later in life, making it a priority. Once I made it a priority, it changed from a general study and learning to digging deep to go after my goals. 

Strength in a word

Most who have read anything that remotely touches the manosphere have heard the word game bandied about; game sounds catchy and easy to brand. To make you think you are learning something new. When in reality, it is the word confidence rebranded. It is hard to sell someone on building confidence. 

Discipline has many meanings. How you interpret it (positive or negative) is impacted by the different paths you have walked in life. If you have seen the word as a negative, I encourage you to change your outlook and start seeing it as a net positive in your life. 

Once you blend all the definitions together, even along with the punishment factor, you will become strong in all aspects of learning. Pushing you past your comfort zones, giving you a structure to follow, to see your true potential, then push it one more inch further. 

AUTHOR

Questions or Thoughts? Leave them in the comments.

Nathan
Twitter @steeljanz
IG @barbarianrhetoric

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