We have all the freedom in the world to decide what we want to do with our lives but when we decide to not progress, to drink ourselves out of opportunities, jobs and friendships, to harm our relationships and to put ourselves in danger or ill health, we are no freer than the man who is in chains. Freedom, after all, is the ability to act in one's best interests it is the reasoned behavior that gets you to a better place in life. If you choose to go hungry tomorrow, or not to pursue your dreams for short term gain, you are not free and it is time that you worked towards your independence.
Independence from mood swings, change of heart, doubt, distractions and all else that holds you back from becoming the person that you are destined to be. Eliud Kipchoge, arguably the greatest marathoner in history says that only the disciplined are free in life he goes on to define self-discipline as doing what’s right rather than doing what you feel. Feelings are momentary, but with the right vision in mind, you can learn to overcome them by focusing on the long term. Building self-discipline takes time, and Kipchoge likens it to going to the gym. The work that you put into the gym will only show after some consistency and in the same way, self discipline will grow on you if you stick to your program long enough.
Many people think that no matter how far they push they will never be Michael Jordan, Einstein, Kipchoge, Messi or any of the superstars who are household names and this leads them to conclude that trying is not worth it. The reality is that if there is one thing that you deserve more than anything else on this planet, it is what you can be and this is because only you have the power to gift yourself this. Don’t ever give up on that. Let your most significant achievement be how well you can steer yourself in times of fear, self doubt, criticism, pain, heartache, and fatigue. Take note of these moments and deliberately choose to act better than you did last time. In other words, be a good captain of your ship.
Luckily for those out there who don’t know where to begin or require direction, there are many ways of building self-discipline and many programs exist out there that anyone can easily take advantage of. There is even an article on this blog for people who are entirely unable to set goals. But what I would recommend for this is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey. Stephen R Covey book has been on the shelf for 25 years now and has for the two decades, and a half remained a bestseller that has transformed the lives of CEOs, business leaders and ordinary people like you and me into better versions of themselves. You should check it out.
Below is the video on which Kipchoge talks about the importance of self discipline
Mateo Ngatia
I'm Mateo Ngatia. A full time Content Developer who enjoys sharing two rules to live by on a daily basis. It is mostly a fun thing, that reminds us that living is serious business no matter what you do .
Website: http://2rules2liveby.blogspot/
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