Long, long ago…. Like 1980 ish, I attended a track and field clinic and one of the speakers was the great Joe Newton, perhaps one of the greatest high school running coaches of all time. I have notes I took somewhere, probably in a box in the basement, and I’m sure I gleaned a multitude of gems from coach Newton. What I don’t need notes to recall and what I’ve carried in the 40+ years since is Coach Newton’s definition of Discipline:
He said, “discipline is doing what has to be done, when it has to be done, the best you can, every single time. Not bad, huh.
In a world where there are SO many distractions, discipline is the path to focus, which a a huge part of the path to excellence. There are 5 reasons being more disciplined might be important to us.
- Discipline helps you get things done
2. It helps you focus
3. It’ll enhance how you feel about yourself
4. It will help you on the road to mastery
5. It will help you have a better life.
In a recent podcast, marathon GOAT Eliud Kipchoge said that there were three rules to self discipline;
Rule 1: Taking a massive dose of what he calls vitamin N. What is vitamin N? Vitamin N is the power to know when to say No. When to say no to distractions, to say no to negative thoughts, to say no to negative people.
Rule 2: Having your priorities established. It is easiest to exert discipline when your path is clear.
Rule 3: Avoid complaining.
Kipchoge stresses that these 3 rules are not a one-night event, but a process. If we want to be the best we can be, discipline is am important path to follow.
So, where are you trying to be more disciplined and how/what are you doing with it?