A Ninja Changed My Definition of Discipline

"Discipline is doing the work...every single day."

-Izzy

Searching for Answers

I never thought about discipline until I realized that I wasn't and I wanted to be. So I did what I do whenever I have a problem (or a random question that pops into my head).  I googled it.

I came upon the story of Izzy. He dreamed of being a martial arts master. He started training to become a ninja. He made the choice, the sacrifices and he went for his dream. He is an inspiration.

When I read his article, my definition of discipline immediately started to shift from slightly negative to very positive. My definition of discipline used to be tied to the idea of penalty and control. It's changed to an idea of dedication and commitment.

I am a writer, an artist and I have dreams. I realized that discipline was the virtue I needed to develop to achieve my goals. I learned from his example that it takes discipline to make dreams real.

Role Models

“The biggest adversary in our life is ourselves. We are what we are, in a sense, because of the dominating thoughts we allow to gather in our head. All concepts of self-improvement, all actions and paths we take, relate solely to our abstract image of ourselves. Life is limited only by how we really see ourselves and feel about our being. A great deal of pure self-knowledge and inner understanding allows us to lay an all-important foundation for the structure of our life from which we can perceive and take the right avenues.”

-Bruce Lee

So many people that I admire possess self-discipline. Their self-discipline allowed them to become amazing and well-accomplished people.

I have always admired warriors. My personal admiration for warriors was never just about cool gear or the Hollywood image of a single person taking on an army. It was the idea that through training and dedication, they became someone stronger and more capable than ever.

Working on it

In retrospect, my revelation about self-discipline was a long time coming. But there were a hundred revelations that I had to have before I could reach it.

In my own haphazard way, I was working to develop self-discipline without realizing it. I would decide on certain goals then I would struggle to find a path to reach them. Sometimes I gave up, sometimes I failed. Getting the work done was a struggle.

I started setting myself up to achieve each goal. I forced myself to do things in support of my goals. When my sabotaging, procrastinating brain would tell me to do another thing or nothing at all, I had to fight to keep going.

I still have to fight. Discipline isn't an absence of the desire to procrastinate, it's the will to overcome that desire. It's about doing the work.

Discipline makes the impossible possible. I've achieved things I thought were out of reach by embracing self-discipline.

Lessons to Apply

• Set specific goals.
• Take action towards the goal.
• Make the sacrifices.
• Hard but worth it.
• After the goal is reached, the sacrifice becomes a step that you took towards your goal. It becomes a source of pride and a part of your achievement.
• Change takes time.
• One website quotes that it takes 21 days to adjust to any life change. Make the change, dedicate yourself to it and keep working at it till the change is the new normal.
• Discipline is a skill to practice and develop.
• You'll make mistakes. To screw up is human. You'll fail and falter then you'll get back up and keep working.
• Make the Commitment.
• Renew your commitment daily.
• Do it for yourself.
• Do it because you want to do it.
• When you wake up and the Oneiroi are calling you back to sleep, remember you have work to do. Get moving and do it.
• Overcome your the barriers.
• Identify each barrier and break through.