Most people live with a baseline discipline, though that baseline is often questionable. There is no success without discipline. Success is often an individual sport; even successful organizations or movements begin with a single person making hard choices.
Discipline means pulling away from the pack. When everyone goes left, you go right.
No one can see what you see. No one can appreciate or care for the vision the way you do. Family and friends may cheer for you, but they cannot fully understand the personal journey. Many people create a discipline to wake up early or run a mile every day, but for every person who does, the path, the cost, and the sacrifice are unique.
Not all of your strengths come from discipline. Hard work is natural to me; I can’t imagine living any other way. Discipline, for me, is waking up early. When I arrived in Belize, I started setting my alarm for 6 AM, a big shift for someone like me. When that wasn’t enough, I started setting my alarm for 5 AM. Strangely, waking up at 5 AM was easier than waking up at 6 AM. At 5 AM, there was no negotiation. It wasn’t about easing into the day – it was a deliberate commitment. The earlier hour removed excuses and forced intention. When 5 AM stopped being enough, I moved it to 4 AM. Nothing sharpens focus or respect for time like starting the day at 4 AM.
Discipline creates a ripple effect. It spreads through every area of life and pushes outward – away from the crowd until one day you find yourself alone. You may be by yourself, but the views are amazing and well worth the sacrifices.
Further Reading
