Joshua Wallace

“No man is free who is not master of himself.”

Epictetus

Discipline as a Cheat Code for Life:

Imagine wielding a unique power-up in the game of life, granting you unparalleled advantages and control. This, in essence, is what cultivating discipline feels like. It’s like playing with cheat codes activated. While it might not grant invulnerability like IDDQD in Doom, it undoubtedly equips you with potent tools and resources, akin to IDKFA, to tackle life’s myriad challenges.

“Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak and esteem to all.”

George Washington

Discipline: Achieving Flow and Stacking Wins

Often, when people speak of the ‘flow state’, they allude to a unique rhythm, a perfect alignment with one’s actions, almost resembling a dance. Discipline, I believe, can achieve a similar effect. In this disciplined state, life feels not only manageable but also exhilarating. Every small task completed, every hurdle overcome, rewards you with a dopamine surge, that joyous feeling of having done a little more than planned or earning your daily bread.

Indeed, discipline allows you to harness the pleasure of those days when you’re seamlessly juggling work, gym, family, and chores. As discipline takes root, you discover newfound resilience against life’s temptations, just like a flexible sapling that can withstand strong gusts. As others attempt to disrupt your rhythm, offering various distractions, your discipline becomes a shield, allowing you to decline lukewarm offers, thereby reclaiming control over your time and intentions.

Discipline: The Meta-Virtue in Stoicism

“He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.”

Seneca

In my eyes, discipline shines brightly as perhaps the supreme Stoic virtue. Many individuals, while well-versed in Stoic tenets like wisdom, courage, and justice, often remain paralyzed due to inaction. Despite possessing profound insights, they fail to act. Here, discipline emerges as the linchpin, catalyzing knowledge into action. Merely possessing positive traits or knowledge isn’t enough. It’s their application, their management that truly counts.

Dramatization – What happens to the other virtues without Discipline

“It is not enough to have great qualities; we should also have the management of them.”

La Rochefoucauld

The scene is dimly lit, evoking an atmosphere of unease and impending doom. The ground is cracked, barren earth with smoky tendrils wafting upward, symbolizing the tumultuous land of “NOPE,” where intentions go awry, and action is stifled.

From the shadows emerges a ghoulish, decomposed zombie arm. Its ghastly greenish-gray hue contrasts with its surroundings. Its nails are long, jagged, and dirt-encrusted, and the arm’s muscles and bones are intermittently exposed due to decaying flesh. The arm emanates an aura of malevolence and is clearly the manifestation of unrestrained desires and a lack of discipline.
Held aloft by thin, ethereal strings, akin to puppetry, are three luminescent symbols representing the Stoic virtues: a lion for courage, a scale for justice, and an owl for wisdom. They glow with a soft, golden light, highlighting their purity and significance.

Yet, the zombie arm reaches out with a vice-like grip, clutching the strings of these virtues, tugging them downward. The lion’s tail is tucked, the scale of justice becomes imbalanced, and the owl’s eyes—once clear and bright—now appear clouded and unsure.
Below the surface of the cracked ground, faint outlines of ghostly figures can be seen, symbolizing lost opportunities and squandered potential. The zombie’s pull threatens to immerse the virtues into this abyss, where their luminescence might be forever lost.

In the background, fading away into the horizon, is a city with pillars and buildings that should represent the flourishing state of virtuous action. However, the city seems distant and blurred, overshadowed by the looming drama in the foreground.

Discipline in Christianity

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

2 Timothy 1:7

Many tenets of Christianity, including the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, also highlight discipline’s importance and intrinsic value. Let’s conduct an exercise roughly mapping the the Ten Commandments to the four Stoic virtues of Wisdom, Courage, Justice, and Temperance.

The Ten Commandments:

1. You shall have no other gods before Me. [Wisdom]

Reasoning: Understanding the nature of existence and prioritizing the divine principle.

2. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. [Wisdom]

Reasoning: Recognizing the essence of things rather than being misled by superficial appearances.

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. [Justice/Wisdom]

 Reasoning: Speaking truthfully, responsibly, and giving proper reverence to what is sacred.

4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. [Temperance]

Reasoning: Exercising restraint and dedicating time for reflection and spiritual observance.

5. Honor your father and your mother. [Justice]

Reasoning: Giving due respect and fairness to those who raised and cared for us.

6. You shall not murder. [Justice]

Reasoning: Upholding the inherent value and rights of all individuals.

7. You shall not commit adultery. [Temperance]

Reasoning: Exercising self-control in personal relationships and maintaining loyalty.

8. You shall not steal. [Justice]

Reasoning: Respecting the property and rights of others.

9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. [Justice]

Reasoning: Maintaining honesty and fairness in all dealings.

10. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor. [Temperance]

Reasoning: Regulating desires and not allowing excessive wants to dictate behavior.

Although Justice occurs four times vs. three for Temperance in this mapping, review these commandments and ask yourself how many of these will be upheld in the absence of discipline and self control? I would argue again as per the dramatic scene and drawing above that Discipline remains the gate keeping virtue.

Discipline: Valuing Process Over Output

Discipline isn’t merely a catalyst to achieve an outcome; it becomes a way of life. Rather than being tethered to outcomes, such as running solely to lose weight, the act itself becomes rewarding. The daily ritual of jotting down notes becomes its own reward, rather than the prospect of completing a book. This shift from an outcome-centric to a process-driven approach ensures long-term growth, providing a solid foundation upon which transient goals can be realized. As goals provide the direction, discipline guarantees progress, making success a sustained journey rather than just an occasional triumph.

“Discipline Equals Freedom.”

Jocko Willink

Discipline isn’t a new concept and for me it is evident that discipline is akin to life’s cheat code, a cultivated skill rather than an innate talent. With discipline, you can more easily reject what doesn’t serve you and amplify your effectiveness in what you’re passionate about. It’s unfortunate that the broader cultivation of discipline is overlooked, as it holds the key to unlocking profound experiences and growth.

Discipline can usher in unexpected moments of clarity and joy. Consider this: you’ve recently established a running routine, and one stormy day, instead of backing out, your discipline nudges you to continue. During that run, you relish the sensation of rain on your skin, encounter creatures you wouldn’t typically see, and later, appreciate the warmth of a shower like never before. Such moments are the gifts borne of discipline, a virtue that continually offers more than it takes.

For those poised to embrace discipline, there’s an abundance of resources. Modern authors like Ryan Holiday and Jocko Willink provide insights, or for the more intense, there’s the “Stay Hard” mantra to cultivate a “callused mind,” as advocated by David Goggins. To deepen your understanding, blending in timeless wisdom from the likes of Marcus Aurelius’s “Meditations” and Seneca’s “Letters to a Stoic” is recommended.

“Stay Hard”

David Goggins