>"With self-discipline most anything is possible." -- Theodore Roosevelt
My late husband Hal became legally blind: 20/400. At the Cleveland Clinic he was diagnosed with cone dystrophy. No cure, no treatment. He was referred to low vision specialists. I was pretty depressed about it. But he wasn't. Investigating the neuroplasticity of the brain had been a serious hobby of his for years. He reasoned that, with disciplined practice, he could recruit stem cells to his retina to repair them. The most disciplined person I have ever known, Hal devised a system which he practiced for more than 2 hours/day. After a year, there was no change. After 2 years, no change. But after 3 years we were walking in the grocery store when he asked, "Does that overhead sign say RICE?"
It did. I wept.
His sight was back to 20/40. Doctors called it a miracle. To my mind it was the miracle of self-discipline.
Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain
Self-discipline is often about short term pain for long term gain. In a culture where instant gratification is promoted, this notion goes against the grain. Whether it's doing homework, exercising, or eating healthily, summoning up inside discipline can be hard.
I am far less disciplined than Hal. If there is a task I'm not looking forward to, it's amazing what I'll do to avoid it. This week I cleaned both my bathrooms 'til they sparkled to avoid preparing my taxes. Then I remembered ways I've disciplined myself to do this kind of task before.
Self-Discipline Tips
- Entertain yourself. I went to the store and got bright orange stickies to sort all my documents. I used silly paper clips that made me laugh. I played music and danced around the table while I sorted things into appropriate piles. As I looked for documents I couldn't find, I imagined myself a sneaky, professional sleuth. I laughed.
- Chunk it - I pre-decided the night before that I'd do one timed hour/in the morning and one in the afternoon. That's all. I used a timer.
- Reward yourself. I took a nap after one stint, had a treat after another, and called a friend after another. I looked at some entertaining Facebook videos after another. When I was all done, I ordered a dress I'd been admiring online.
When I'd worked on taxes 4 days in a row, guess what? They were done! Ready for the accountant. And I was so pleased with myself!
Self-Discipline's Reward
The amazing part of self-discipline is how rewarding it is. If we're trying not to eat sugar and then we turn down cheesecake, our self-respect goes up. When we train to summit a mountain and then do it, we've redefined what we're capable of, and it feels good.
It's difficult to work on self-esteem directly. But when we do something that's challenging, our self-esteem goes up. It's a consequence of being who we want to be.
Deeper Self-Discipline
At a deeper level, self-discipline greatly influences not only what we do, but who we are. Aristotle said, We are what we repeatedly do; excellence then is not an act, but a habit.
Here are some questions I ask myself. Can I make it a habit to:
- Stay openhearted even in the face of criticism?
- Be kind to someone every single day?
- Examine how I might be causing problems for people I'm judging or blaming?
With a little consciousness and self-discipline, we can cultivate strong, good habits. Improve our health. Be closer to our best selves.
COACHING QUESTIONS
- How could you embrace a tedious task by making it more entertaining, fun or creative?
- What virtue could you practice to feel more positive about yourself? To have more to give?