I’ve always believed that discipline is such a crucial element to have if you’re aiming for a successful life. Whether it may be through school, sport, university, or the workplace, you cannot simply wait for a wave of motivation to pass to begin your latest goal. It is simply the act of obeying the rules you’ve set for yourself, that will bring you closer to the person you aim to become. Motivation won’t stick with you every single day to get through a strict training regime, or stay on track with a diet, it is too intertwined with your emotions. A simple bad day will override any motivation, leading to inconsistency and thus pushing your goal further away. This is exactly why discipline is crucial, regardless of how you feel, you show up and get it done. Consistency.
Now all of this is great, and can be deemed common knowledge, but recently I’ve been thinking how much discipline it too much? Can we have too much? Why can I no longer enjoy acts of spontaneity?
Discipline often sets a regime, and personally, I’ve always been a person of routine and habit. If I find something that works, I stick to it day in and out. It is great, it allows me to have a good amount of allocated time towards my training, uni work and part-time job, but it’s also led me into a cycle of guilt whenever I do anything slightly out of this routine.
Spontaneity can be linked with an improved quality of life. It feeds creativity and promotes adaption to versatile situations (aka divergent thinking), it also brings a fun side to every day life, no longer being bored with a repetitive cycle. I know this is a crucial element to a fulfilling life, sticking to an exact routine ends up stunting growth as you don’t give yourself the opportunity to find new (and possibly better) activities or habits to implement that leaves you feeling satisfied, yet sometimes I feel like these spontaneous acts contradict my disciplinary routine.
I preach how life has to incorporate balance for good habits to be sustainable, even though I’m still working on this myself. Slowly (but surely), I’m incorporating little acts of spontaneity to show myself that it is okay to skip a workout, or go out drinking, or indulge in sweets. These are a few of the things that I’ve recently struggled with, but the act of doing these things is the only way to prove to yourself that you will be fine afterwards. Your progress is not ruined. You’re not going to believe that these things are fine until you do it, and have practical evidence that you are just as good as before.
So the main thing I’d like you to take away from this, is to indulge here and there. Buy that piece of clothing you’ve been eyeing off, have that chocolate, and don’t be afraid to take a day off (it’s just as important as the workout itself). Guilt is normal, but the more exposure you have, the easier it gets. All the best.
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