Thank you for the A2A.
For me, meditation has helped a lot with staying disciplined. Even when I lose discipline, I can quickly regain it.
Before meditation, my mind was very distracted. I made a big deal out of everything; everything was so dramatic. If I failed, it was a big deal. If I succeeded, it was a big deal. If I felt good or bad, it was a big deal. The reason why everything was a big deal to me was that my perspective was narrow, which led me to believe that there was such a rush to achieve results. This constant rush was exhausting, making it nearly impossible to maintain discipline amidst the chaos of my busy mind. I lacked the inner calm necessary to focus on one task at a time, hindering any meaningful progress.
Thanks to meditation, my perspective changed to a much bigger and long-term one, and much less dramatic. These days, my life may seem dull, but that doesn’t bother me. My mind has become like an ocean where there are, of course, ripples, waves, storms, and the occasional ugly fish, but they don’t define me. Although I do get affected and freak out sometimes, I know it’s passing, and I can get myself back up on the horse.
My point is this: with a big perspective, it’s easy to take action. It becomes easy because we are much less affected by the whims of our thoughts. As a natural consequence, discipline ensues without us even having to “try to be disciplined,” which is boring and a chore. With a mindset like this, our capacity for discipline grows.
There certainly are times when I feel fed up and frustrated. I sometimes break my routines and am lazy. But I know that it is just a passing storm, and then I go back and work on my set of routines that I know bring me forward and make me grow as a person.
Some momentum is required to reach a place where taking daily action (i.e., staying disciplined) becomes natural. Since everything begins with the mind, I recommend that you start meditating with a personal tutor. Schedule at least three sessions per week and do it for a minimum of six months. I don’t recommend attempting meditation on your own; it’s too easy to give up. Paying a little money and getting personal and professional guidance will help you follow through. Just do it.
Good luck!
Michael
PS. Check out the video below; it underscores and explains the principles in my post.
