MYTHS AND LIES ABOUT DISCIPLINE

Discipline is unpopular; there are many myths about discipline. It has only one drawback: it is the right, but difficult path.

When we hear this, we understand that the real biographies of famous artists, composers, writers and other creators are shrouded in mystery. On closer acquaintance, it turns out that most of the geniuses worked hard, a lot and did not wait for inspiration. Somerset Maugham once said a phrase that changed the life of young Todorri Wynn.

Of course, one might get the impression that discipline is the enemy of inspiration. Inspiration may be the enemy of discipline, but discipline is inspiration’s best friend. Firstly, when, thanks to discipline, we have collected, completed household chores (albeit not all, but the main ones), when the feeling of guilt due to financial or social debts does not press, then a lot of energy is released for creativity and inspiration that we can use.

Secondly, research has shown that moments of insight that seem to come out of nowhere are the result of intense brain activity that preceded them. Kevin Ashton, in his book How to Fly a Horse, was very specific and unambiguous: Time is the raw material for creation.

Throw away the magic and myths of creation, and all that remains is work: the work of gaining experience through research and practice, the work of finding solutions to problems, the work of trial and error, the work of reflection and improvement. Even the famous “90 Proven Ways to Overcome Crisis and Find Inspiration Again” (paper book or PDF) offers us nothing more than real action, not just waiting. But even if you just break through paragraph by paragraph or stroke by stroke, inspiration will eventually come. And it happens more often and faster than if you just wait. To be more precise, it always happens.

When a creator is disciplined, the muse is disciplined as well. Jana Frank is a prime example of a creative person who tamed inspiration through discipline. She shows it in her book, The Muse and the Beast.

But – starting with Yana – more and more creative people declare that discipline and organization are the best friends of inspiration and creativity. Therefore, learn how to create, without waiting for inspiration.

People often talk about the life of disciplined people: this is slavery and prison. People may suffer from excess weight, nicotine addiction, poor health, but they still do not solve their problems, just because they consider discipline evil. The philosophy of such people is understandable. It was expressed by Voltaire: freedom is to do what you want and when you want.

But there was another French thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who said that true freedom is the ability to do what is necessary and right. From a logical point of view, Rousseau is right. After all, what kind of freedom is it if you go to work on a schedule, do what other people tell you, obey the laws of the state, but you cannot control yourself?

Can this be called freedom when you work for the interests of others, but out of laziness or appetite neglect yours? It turns out that discipline and self-control is real freedom. But this is only the first step of freedom. The next one is not only to do what is right and necessary, but also to love it, to enjoy it. And here we are faced with the following myth.

necessarily tasteless, good music is boring, sports cannot bring pleasure, hard work (intellectual and physical) oppresses… That is, everything that requires discipline and self-control is associated with negative feelings and emotions, which means that it is incompatible with happiness and a bright interesting life.

But perseverance is rewarded, with physical exertion, the release of the hormone of happiness increases, any tastes can be changed, and food can be cooked deliciously. If food is healthy, nutritious and balanced, but not tasty, then it is unhealthy food. On the other hand, there are a lot of things that, by definition, simply cannot bring pleasure and joy, things that still need to be done.

And they must be done if only because there is a direct connection between their fulfillment and our happiness. For example, many people dislike exercise simply because they haven’t tried it yet. But there are those who will never be able to fall in love with sports, despite all their benefits for the brain and body. And here no motivation and self-hypnosis will help, but discipline can do it. Besides, a lot depends on our attitude. It seems that it is difficult not to get joy and pleasure from overcoming oneself, from achieving one’s own goals.

Even in the process itself, you can be happy from the simple thought that you are not a weak-willed person, but a person who owns himself. Discipline leads a person through the achievement of a result to the emotional state that helps to achieve results every time. It turns out that true happiness is hard to find without discipline. Without discipline, it is impossible to be free, have inspiration and break through. What are we going to do with motivation? Let’s throw the ballast overboard?

No way! Let’s just start getting the right attitude towards motivational products. Motivation is a picture of the future. Motivation is very good when it paints a picture of the future in front of us, shows us what awaits us if we pull ourselves together and, with the support of discipline, move forward. Motivation is good when it reminds us why we need self-control and continuous movement. Therefore, be sure to watch a motivational video, read motivational books and articles.

Better yet, seek and nurture intrinsic motivation. Think about your goals, dream about them, plan to achieve them, paint pictures. Learn to love what you do, just fall in love with your job and become the best! Let motivation inspire you, and discipline will give strength and perseverance to achieve your dreams.