Why Discipline Is Key

It’s simple, but it’s difficult.

As we look at the variety of challenges in our lives, we’re likely to find a common theme: they’re simple, but they’re difficult.

Losing weight, for example, consists of taking in fewer calories than you expend. In the preceding sentence, we have an explanation for that challenge that so many fret over. Yet, most of us know firsthand just how difficult this simple concept can be to implement. Something like building up sufficient savings in our bank account is almost exactly the same as losing weight, though inverted. You need to deposit more money than you withdraw. I won’t delve into how simple, and how unbearably difficult, this can be.

As we examine other portions of our life: Whether it is how to be a better friend, how to make sure our potted plants don’t die, or how to perform better at our job, it’s usually a simple solution. However, it can be difficult to implement. Anywhere in life that we can readily describe the solution, we then know that it’s only a matter of discipline separating us from success in that area of our life. Once you realize this, I think it becomes a little bit easier.

We’ve been taken by trends of optimization and life hacks. The bookshelves are overflowing with self-help books that claim to have the keys to success. Yet, this informational deficit seems largely exaggerated. The vast majority of endeavors we engage in are not impeded by our lack of understanding but by our lack of discipline. Take a look at your life and you’ll find a recurring theme: it’s simple, but it’s difficult. Then, you’ll know that self-control is key.

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