Discipline is one of the tough necessities in life. Without it, we'd all be wandering around aimlessly. And as I become older, I find myself being more strict on myself. Because growth is dependent upon discipline.
Being disciplined by someone over you (i.e. your parents) is not easy, but learning to discipline yourself is much more challenging.
Self-discipline has to be practiced before it can be perfected. However, there must be a balance between being relentless and graceful. Do not be so hard on yourself that you feel incapable of making better decisions.
Instead, be patient with yourself. Notice your bad habits and strategize effective ways to correct your behavior. Effective ways that will leave you feeling empowered.
I came up with a list of three reasons why disciplining yourself is so important:
- It builds trust within yourself. The more you tell yourself "Don't do that," and you sense peace afterwards, you will find it easier to continually submit to yourself.
- It shapes your character. The more you challenge yourself to not give into toxic and/or negative behavioral tendencies, you will begin to see a change in your actions and reactions.
- It allows you to be patient with others. When you become familiar with your imperfections, you will not only have more grace for yourself, but also for others.
I want to end this post with a scripture to encourage you to discipline yourself even when it seems the most challenging: "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11
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