Benefits and Hardship of Self Discipline

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” This quote by Aristotle essentially says that in order to achieve excellence, we need to be able to have the discipline to not only better ourselves but to keep bettering ourselves repeatedly. Discipline is training to act in accordance with rules; activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill. Within discipline, there is self-discipline which is the act of discipling and training oneself, usually for improvement.

No one is born with self-discipline, it is something, like the name says, we give ourselves. However it is not easy to come by when it more often than not requires to make the harder, less pleasing choice. But while these choices may seem unsatisfactory in the moment, they help lead to a more satisfying end. Nightly routine, meditation and the development of a student mentality are three things I learned that are especially important to discipline oneself in.

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Creating a nightly regiment may seem easy on paper but once it’s put into motion does a person see just how difficult it can be. I learned that for whatever reason, there are people who believe running on little sleep is a cool thing to do when in reality, it’s not. The human brain and body need an appropriate amount of sleep per night to be able to fully function the next day at its best efficiency. The less sleep you get, the more likely you can become more tired the following night and so on and so forth.

Not receiving enough sleep produces a domino effect of sluggish behavior and poor body functionality.

Knowing this, I tried getting the standard eight hours of sleep per night but I learned that eight hours was still not enough for me so I had to try a different approach. There was a lot of trial and error but I finally found out that I need approximately ten hours of sleep a night for me to be fully rested and that there is no “one size fits all” for people sleeping. But I also learned that it is important to not get how much sleep my body needs and how much sleep it is used to confused. One way to help get a good nights rest is to make a schedule of anything that you need to do about an hour before you go to sleep. By setting an alarm about 30-60 minutes before I have to go to sleep, I know when I should begin my nightly routine. By creating better sleeping patterns, you are ensuring better working habits to follow in the day.

Another thing that I believe is important to self discipline yourself in is the art of self-observation that is known as meditation. Meditation can help with enabling more positive emotions, reaching clarity and developing a deeper level of concentration. It is especially important to be able to meditate during stressful times. I started meditating in my junior year of high school during PSAT season because I saw how stressed I was getting. By focusing on my breathing or a steady beat, I was able to calm myself down, allowing better and smoother blood flow. However, in order for it to work when you need it to, you need to practice it when you don’t think you need to. I started out with just 15 minutes a day because thats all I could spare at the time and I know I needed to do it regularly so I can get better at it for when it really has to count. Those who meditate feel less anxiety and stress than those who don’t. To me, meditation allows you to stop thinking about everything going around you for a little while and allows you to look at the situation with fresh eyes and perhaps a new perspective.

Disciplining yourself on developing a student mentality is definitely one of the harder ones in my opinion but it is also the most beneficial one. Having a student mentality means you are always willing to learn new things and see any “obstacle” as an opportunity for growth. It also allows you to think outside the box because you'd be more open to different ideas that can help you solve whatever you are struggling with. There are a number of ways to develop a better student mentality such as reading more books, watching documentaries, taking advice from people successful in your field, etc. By not having a student mentality, you are depriving yourself from personal growth, making you think in one way and one way only.

I know that when I would have a problem, be it with school, family or friends, I would ask someone for advice because I would want to know how they view the situation and what would they do in my place. If no one can help me, I take my questions to the internet because I want to find new and better ways to deal with situations that may appear again in the future. I also know people that refuse to ask others for help and insist on solving everything on their own, which is fine to a degree but if they keep doing the wrong thing over and over again, they won’t get anywhere causing them to be stuck in their unfortunate situation. The goal of the student is to learn, and to apply what they learned in their lives so it can help them achieve their goals, personal or professional.

In conclusion, self-discipline is one of the hardest things to achieve but once achieved, it becomes second nature and you never have to worry about it again. By creating a nightly routine that allows optimal sleep time, meditating and developing a student mentality, I was able to progress further in my educational and personal endeavors. I sleep better therefore I work better throughout the day, I meditate often so I don't feel unnecessary stress and I am developing more and more of a student mentality so I have a more positive, exciting outlook on any obstacles in my path, making me feel less discouraged when facing them. I also learned that by doing these three, I have a higher sense of self-control and can make decisions more easily. Self-discipline offers a level-headedness that can only improve a persons life.