The Danger of Discipline

Once you experience a disciplined, organized life…you’ll never want to go back.

I’m not saying you’ll be structured forever. God no. That takes blood, sweat, and tears each and everyday. But once you taste the sweet nectar of even remotely having your shit together…falling through the wayside will put you in a depression.

This happens to me, for example, when I go on vacation.

Time away from responsibility is rejuvenating and necessary…but too much time away from my routine—drinking often, getting irregular sleep, exercising infrequently, not doing my morning rituals—make me feel like a shell of myself.

As awful as it is, it’s a damn good motivator to get things back on track.

With my new job, I battled this idea for weeks…but I’ve finally accepted the realization that to get everything I need done in the day, I have to change my sleep schedule. This means waking up earlier and going to sleep earlier.

The result: Sacrificing the short term pleasure of my comfort this week and the ability to stay up late with my friends on weekends, for the long-term satisfaction of taking care of everything which makes me feel fulfilled (getting a full exercise in 3-5 times a week, going to JiuJitsu, sitting down for deep work on the podcast, showing up early to get better at my job).

I’ve been up for several hours. I’m sleepy. My bed looks so inviting and cozy. But once I finish this paragraph I’m heading to the gym…because laying in bed for an extra hour doesn’t make me look better or feel better with my shirt off. It won’t make me fit. Be your own personal trainer. Once you live a disciplined life, you’ll find that you’re a pretty good life coach.