The irony: self-discipline creates freedom
Most of us want more freedom: to do what we want, how we want, when we want. The thought of self-discipline and routine is something we often rebel against.
Self-discipline has been described as doing what you do not want to do now, so you have the freedom to do what you do want to do later.
Easy stays easy
We all want to do the easy stuff. Easy is in our comfort zone, where there is no stretch, no growth and no development.
A client example
One client valued freedom so much that he avoided a job and any routine, and the consequences were catching up with his finances and his health. With a fresh perspective, he saw that he had the freedom to choose a job, and that the job gave him the freedom to buy a car and go on holiday. The self-discipline of a healthy eating plan gave him the freedom to do more and enjoy more.
Your challenge
- Where can you use self-discipline to create more freedom?
- What three things have you been procrastinating on?
- How much space will you create in your life when you do them?
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Read the video transcript
Freedom. Most of us want more freedom in our lives: the freedom to do what we want, how we want and when we want to do it. And the thought of self-discipline and routine is often something we rebel against. I’m working with a client who values freedom so much he hasn’t got a job. He wants to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He values freedom so much he wants to eat whatever he wants. Now obviously there are consequences. He hasn’t got the money to buy a car, and his health is suffering. On the flip side, self-discipline has been described as doing what you don’t want to do now, so you have the freedom to do what you do want to do later on. It’s a big irony that self-discipline creates freedom. We all want to do the easy stuff, but easy stuff is easy. It’s in our comfort zone, where there’s no stretch, no growth and no development. This client now has a fresh perspective. He can see that he has the freedom to choose a job, and that job means he has the freedom to buy a new car and go on holiday. And having the self-discipline of a healthy eating plan, he now has the freedom to do more with his body, enjoy doing things more and enjoy a longer life. Some really big rewards. So in your life, where can you harness your self-discipline to create more freedom? What three things have you been procrastinating on that you can act on with self-discipline to create more space in your life? A challenge for the day.
