7 Myths About Discipline You Should Stop Believing

These 7 myths about discipline must be dispelled if you are to truly understand how to manage your emotions and live a more peaceful life. Only then will you be able to tap into your inner drive, and discover what drives you.

1. You will become lazy and without direction if you lack discipline.

Self-discipline is helpful when you need to overcome inertia. However, relying on it alone can lead to failure. Self-discipline is not always the best way to achieve your goals. You can’t force yourself to do things you don’t like. But, it is possible that you might be successful.

Instead of forcing yourself into doing something, focus on the outcome you want from the task. Focusing on the end goal you want to reach will help you to be motivated to accomplish it.

Your actions will be more influenced by your desires. This can even help you focus when you are doing tasks you don’t like.

Self-discipline is a great complement tool especially when there are obstacles or barriers that get in your way of your goals. Pure self-discipline can only be a temporary solution. You must understand your purpose and connect to your “why” to achieve long-term goals. This is key to your achievement of your goals.

2. Only way to succeed is through self-discipline

People believe that self-discipline is the key to success. Self-discipline is key to staying focused and achieving your goals. But if you don’t have clear goals, self-discipline won’t get you far. You may not be able to self-discipline but still be successful. However, no one can be successful without a plan and the motivation for it.

Take this as an example: You might be the most disciplined person on the planet, but if you don’t have a goal or the motivation to reach it, you won’t be successful. Motivation is what ignites your spirit and keeps you going. It’s what motivates you to act, coordinates your actions, and sustains them over time.

Many people believe self-discipline can be a part of motivation. But having a clear idea is not enough. It’s important to know what you want. Although you may be able to wake up at 5 am every morning, you might not be able to work hard because you aren’t sure what your goals are. You will succeed if you have a clear goal, and the perseverance to get up every day and lift the weight.

3. It is difficult to be self-disciplined

Sometimes, self-discipline can be difficult. It takes effort to make yourself do things you don’t want to do. It is difficult to live a disciplined life. We would be tempted, in the short-term, to make quick decisions that may lead to negative long-term consequences.

If you allow yourself to be tempted and eat junk food too often it can seem like a good choice. But, in the end, you will need to deal with the consequences such as obesity or risk of developing other illnesses. These are the consequences of not being self-respectful.

Which is harder? Learning to eat well or eating poorly all the time, then having to deal with the mental and physical pain of your health problems? Self-discipline means accepting short-term discomfort. The options are easier when you look at the bigger picture.

4. Willpower and self-discipline are the same thing

Discipline refers to the ability to form healthy habits that will support your goals and help you achieve them. These habits become part of your daily life, and become an automatic habit, which makes it easier to keep them. Willpower is about being aware of your choices and how you behave. Willpower requires a lot of energy and determination.

Perhaps you have been on a diet or gone to a party with food you don’t want. You have to resist temptation and not eat it all. Self-discipline means accepting the fact that you cannot eat these foods. You either stand beside the tray of fruits or vegetables, or you avoid them altogether. You can develop self-discipline with enough practice.

5. Self-discipline is about being in control.

It is believed that discipline in life leads to more control. This is because we want stability and security in life. We desire to feel in control of the world around and be able to organize our dominance.

The truth is, we have only control over our own actions. Although self-discipline is learning to control our actions and ourselves, it will not give us total control over our environment.

Self-discipline is key to managing your emotions and your reactions to others. Over time, you can improve and strengthen your self-control. Self-control, if used wisely can help you avoid negative and impulsive behavior.

6. Self-discipline is being free from emotions

Emotions are a fundamental part of being human. You will feel emotions no matter how disciplined you are. You must also be self-disciplined emotionally by accepting and acknowledging how you feel.

You must be aware of your emotions and control yourself. You will have to be able to control your emotions and calmly navigate through the situation.

You need to be able to connect with your emotions even in stressful situations. You can avoid those emotions being projected onto others by practicing self-discipline. This is particularly important for negative emotions like fear, anger, or anxiety.

7. Self-discipline is not about getting what you want.

It is wrong to assume that self-disciplined individuals live a narrow and restricted existence where they are unable to do what they desire. It is easy to see everything that someone with self-discipline is not doing. What others may not see is all they are doing and the freedom they have gained through their self-discipline to live the life that they want.

Instead of reacting constantly to situations, giving in to temptations, or worrying about making good decisions, self-discipline is the ability to establish habits that support your core values and help you make decisions that will support your goals.

You can live fully in the present without worrying about the future or being tempted. Self-discipline is a way to be more effective at setting boundaries and not get swept away by toxic relationships or negative situations. Self-discipline allows you to organize your life so that it leads to positive relationships, supportive friendships and more connections.