Little Sketch

Discipline is freedom. You may disagree with this statement, and if you do you are certainly not alone. For many people discipline is a dirty word that is equated with the absence of freedom. In fact the opposite is true. As Stephen R. Covey once wrote, “the undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions”. And in the longer term, the undisciplined lack the freedom that comes with possessing particular skills and abilities – e.g. to play a musical instrument or speak a foreign language.
Self-discipline involves acting according to what you think instead of how you feel in the moment. Often it involves sacrificing the pleasure and thrill of the moment for what matters most in life. Therefore it is self-discipline that drives you to:

• Work on an idea or project after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded away
• Go to the gym when all you want to do is lie on the couch and watch TV
• Wake early to work on yourself
• Say “no” when tempted to break your diet
• Only check your email a few of times per day at particular times

In the past self-discipline has been a weakness of mine, and as a result today I find myself lacking the ability to do a number of things which I would like – e.g. to play the guitar. But I have improved, and I can say that it is self-discipline that got me out of bed this morning at 5am to run and then write this article. Believe me, I would love to be curled up in bed right now, but this desire is subordinated by my inner sense of purpose.
If you struggle with self-discipline, the good news is that it can be developed. For example, it is only in the past two years that I have trained myself to wake early. The following are what I have found to be the five traits of self-discipline:

1. Self-Knowledge

Discipline means behaving according to what you have decided is best, regardless of how you feel in the moment. Therefore the first trait of discipline is self-knowledge. You need to decide what behavior best reflects your goals and values. This process requires introspection and self-analysis, and is most effective when tied to written expression. I highly recommend taking the time to write out your goals, dreams and ambitions. Even better, write out a personal mission statement. I found that writing such a statement gave me a greater understanding of who I am, what I am about and what I value. Dr. Covey has an excellent Mission Statement Builder on his site.

2. Conscious Awareness

Self-discipline depends upon conscious awareness as to both what you are doing and what you are not doing. Think about it. If you aren’t aware your behavior is undisciplined, how will you know to act otherwise?
As you begin to build self-discipline, you may catch yourself being in the act of being undisciplined – e.g. biting your nails, avoiding the gym, eating a piece of cake or checking your email constantly. Developing self-discipline takes time, and the key here is you are aware of your undisciplined behavior. With time this awareness will come earlier, meaning rather than catching yourself in the act of being undisciplined you will have awareness before you act in this way. This gives you the opportunity to make a decision that is in better alignment with your goals and values.

have you ever feel really2 down in this life? yes, I have. sering malah...rasa dimana gw tuh gk ada apa-apanya. bener2 ngerasa gw tuh sendirian di dunia ini, padahal disekitar gw temen asik2 aja. dan anehnya, perasaan ini suka tiba-tiba muncul gitu aja. pagi-pagi gw masih bisa ketawa-ketiwi atau gila-gilaan segila-gilanya, tapi tiba-tiba beberapa menit kemudian langsung down gitu, langsung mellow tanpa ada sebab. bener-bener ngerasa hampa. pernah waktu itu gw jalan gk tentu arah gitu, keliling2 kampung, nongkrong sini nongkrong sana gk jelas sama temen-temen, tapi tetep aja gw gk merasakan kehadiran mereka, seolah cuma gw sendirian di dunia ini *lebay.com*

biasanya seseorang ngerasa down tuh kalo lagi ada masalah yang sangat pelik, entah itu masalah pekerjaan, pendidikan, keluarga ataupun masalah cinta. sedangkan gw? sejauh ini gw blom pernah, dan mudah2an jangan pernah, dapet masalah dipekerjaan gw, atau masalah dengan pendidikan gw. pendidikan gw lancar-lancar aja, keluarga gw juga damai, apalagi percintaan, cewek aja gk punya -_-

kalo lagi ngerasa gini, gw biasanya diem aja, dengerin lagu yang mellow2 yang liriknya bener2 bisa ngewakilin perasaan gw. macem Ruang Hidup-nya ST12, Jangan Menyerah-nya D'Massive sampe Pieces-nya Sum 41 yang baru-baru ini gw denger atas suggest dari temen gw.

aslinya, gw paling benci klo perasaan kek gitu tuh udah dateng, bikin bete -_-