“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.” Jim Rohn
I think that cultivating discipline is the ultimate self-care habit.
Precisely for what Jim Rohn says about regret in the quote above; it weighs tons. Carrying that weight around does not feel like self-care.
Shall I share some of my weighty regrets?
- Not recording an album when I was a singer/songwriter.
- Putting every ounce of weight and more back after dieting.
- Not saving enough for retirement.
And why did all those things happen?
Because I lacked discipline. I think I always thought freedom was more important. In fact, I have freedom as my most important core value. But I’m pretty sure I’ve got that wrong.
I think I have misunderstood freedom as being “doing whatever I want when I want to.”
That my friends is the definition of freedom to a five year old.
Emotional maturity tells us a different story.
Freedom happens on top of discipline.
- With the discipline of working diligently at my craft of singing and writing every day, I would have experienced the freedom of expression and creativity that would have come from a successful music career.
- With the discipline of not listening to my crabby, craving voice who told me a lot of food lies, I would have the freedom of living in a super healthy body at the right weight right now.
- With the discipline of having a financial plan and sticking with it, I could have the freedom of not worrying about money every single day of my life.
I have come to love discipline.
I go to my CrossFit class three days a week. No matter how I feel.
I meditate daily. No matter how I feel.
I sit and write blogs and newsletters. No matter how I feel.
In fact, I usually feel like doing all those disciplines because they feel so good. I’m a happy, fulfilled person when I am done.
I learned about discipline first when I was in University. I was a grown up when I went to university, in my early thirties Luckily, I understood very clearly that if I didn’t sit down to do the work, I would fail. And I had already failed as a musician. I was not willing to fail as a student too.
Discipline became my friend, not my enemy. I had a ton of success at university, culminating with a Master’s degree. Amazing for a high school drop out who didn’t have an ounce of discipline before I began.
And yes, I see it as the ultimate of self-care because I am truly caring for myself, the way an adult would care for a child with boundaries and rules.
Discipline = self-care = freedom from regret = a life well lived.
❤️ I like it. Let’s talk again later! In the meantime…
How’s your self-care going? What about your discipline? Want to work together? Here’s your chance.
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Thanks for reading. 
