Freedom Comes From Discipline
March 14, 2020
- I want Financial Freedom. I wish I could live my life without having to work for money.
- I want the freedom to manage my career. I want to do something else but I am stuck.
- I want the freedom to manage my business without external interference
- I want to be free to do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do it.
All of us yearn for this “goal” of freedom in our life.
What is freedom? It is the so-called “free will” I have, to do something I feel like doing.
Anything I don’t feel like doing feels like it is shackling me. Anything I am not happy doing feels like it is taking away my freedom.
So what happens. I fall into a trap.
“I am not happy and free in my job, career, life- so let me at least do stuff that I feel like doing.”
” I feel like sleeping until 7 am. I’ll sleep in.”
“I feel like going out for a late-night party in the middle of the week with friends, I’ll go ahead.”
” I feel good being on Instagram, Facebook and actively posting, I’ll keep doing it”
I fall into this false belief that I am in the present moment exercising free will and experiencing freedom- Freedom to do whatever I feel like doing.
I think I am the master of my own actions.
Am I really? What I think of as my free will is actually my surrender. I am a slave to my own comfort habits and mindset. The sad truth is that I am actually a puppet of my own compulsions. I am no puppeteer.
What is self-discipline?
Self-discipline is my ability to control my own actions.
It is my willingness to forgo instant and immediate gratification and pleasure, in favor of something more important, even if it requires more effort and time.
Self-discipline is that choice I exercise to do something even when I don’t “feel” like doing that thing.
Self Discipline has no external lens. It is completely internal. It is something I impose on myself, using my own “free will”
Paradoxically, there is no bigger expression of personal freedom than self-discipline. It is completely my choice.
Regular practice, consistency, perseverance, emotional labor, commitment to timelines, pain-These are attributes of discipline.
If we want to experience real freedom in our lives with regards to our financial situation, work, relationships, personal choices, we need to embrace discipline. Self Discipline is the path to personal freedom.
