HOW TO BUILD SELF DISCIPLINE BY MARCUS AURELIUS
Stoicism
In this lecture, we will be talking about 10 important
insights for building your Self Discipline from the writings of Marcus
Aurelius. He was also a devout student of the philosophy of Stoicism. During
his rule, Aurelius found the time to construct a series of autobiographical
writings, now known as the Meditations. In these writings, the Marcus Aurelius
offered a number of key insights on how to build self discipline.
So here are 10 important insights for self discipline from Marcus
Aurelius.
1. Self Discipline starts with finding your purpose
2. Count on yourself
3. Show up every day
4. Practice voluntary hardship
5. Practice dichotomy of control
6. Never play the victim
7. Practice delayed gratification
8. Ignore naysayers
9. Find wise people to emulate
10. Honestly review your day
I hope you enjoyed reading the text and hope you find these insights very
insights very helpful to for your self discipline.
Even though Marcus Aurelius wrote it 2,000 years ago — his
insights on Stoicism still carry strong weight today. Stoicism is a school of
Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd
century BC. Even though it is over 2000 years old, more and more people are
discovering how Stoicism is not only relevant to modern times, but can be
applied in very simple, yet strong ways.
Ways to Self Discipline & Personality Development
If you want to build self-discipline, you’d do well to
listen to the words of Marcus Aurelius.
He was the emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 A.D. and is
considered as last of the Five
Good Emperors. During his rule, Aurelius found the time to
construct a series of autobiographical
writings, now known as the Meditations. In these writings,
the Roman Emperor offered
a number of key insights on how to be build self-discipline.
Here are 10 of the most important
of those insights for self-discipline from the writings of
Marcus Aurelius.
1. Self Discipline Starts With Finding Your Purpose
Marcus Aurelius says “I have to go to work — as a human
being. What do I have to complain
of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I
was brought into the world to do?
Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the
blankets and stay warm?”
Marcus Aurelius believed that we each have a purpose;
something that we were created
for. It is our duty to carry out that purpose because it is
purpose that gets you out of
bed each morning. If you have a clear understanding of your
goals and how your task fits within
them, you are much more likely to complete it.
For example, say you have a flat tire and need to change it.
Your purpose is clear – change
the tire as quickly as possible so you can get on your way.
You are going to do that
task, no matter how tired you feel. The biggest source of
self-discipline is to have a reason
to do the task. If you don’t know what to do, just start.
If you want to be a writer, write every day. If you want to
be an artist, draw and create
every day. Anything you want to do, you don’t need any more
motivation or research or advice.
You just start practicing something you’re interested in and
tackle every day as it comes
because it is your purpose that will give you an internal
desire, drive, and motivation
to propels you forward toward your goal. Self-discipline is
about finding compelling reasons to do
something then committing yourself to see that task or
activity through to the very
end.
2. Count on yourself
According to Marcus Aurelius, you should “Turn
your desire to stone. Quench your appetites. Keep your mind
centered on itself”
After you have a solid purpose, It’s time now to build a
practical plan of action to
help you accomplish your goal. You should’nt just not commit
to your goals but commit to
all the little actions you will take along the way in the
pursuit of those goals. We
must be fully committed to doing whatever it takes to get
the job done no matter what
challenges get in the way.
Self Discipline is the ability to get yourself to take
action—to do what you need to do—regardless
of your physical, mental, or emotional state. Everything you
want in your life—everything
you want to have, be, and do, depends on your ability to get
yourself to take the necessary
actions to achieve your goals, whether you feel like it or
not.
You can start with forming an effective plan of action that
is comprised of a deadline
for accomplishing your goal. It must also be built on the
foundation of mini-milestones
that break your goal down into manageable chunks.
Mini-milestones will ensure that you’re working toward your
desired outcome in small
pieces and time blocks. This tactic puts you in the driver’s
seat. It gives you a sense
of control over the tasks and projects you’re working on.
What you’re ultimately trying to avoid is succumbing to
being overwhelmed. Overwhelming
can quickly digress to procrastination, and procrastination
can, subsequently, lead to
stagnation. And, of course, where there is stagnation,
self-discipline cannot exist.
3. Show up every day
Marcus Aurelius says “You must build up your life action by
action, and be content if each one achieves its goal as far as possible–and
no one can keep you from this”.
Even after having a solid purpose and a practical plan, 95%
of us fail to achieve our goals.
We fail because we fail to be consistent. We need to show
up, every day, and put in
the work. The simple act of showing up and immersing
yourself in your craft does wonders
for mental endurance. You build focus and come to terms with
the arduous process that
it takes to achieve anything great. You have to put in
countless hours of work before you
reap any of the benefits. Self - Discipline is nothing more
but the habit of consistency
– finding the motivation to do something again and again,
until you do it on autopilot
and start seeing results. So even if you fail once for
example, if you didn’t exercise
when you know you should have, this doesn’t define your
character. Your ability to keep
going is what moulds you into a disciplined and strong
person. A bad day doesn’t have
to become a bad week, a bad week doesn’t have to become a
bad year. The moment you
wake up, remember that the new day is a new life and move
forward by opening your eyes
and focusing on what’s in front of you, which is life itself
4. Practice Voluntary Hardship
In the words of
Marcus Aurelius “We should
discipline ourselves in small things, and from there
progress to things of greater valwhol
If you have a headache, practise not cursing. Don’t curse
every time you have an earache.
And I’m not saying that you can’t complain, only don’t
complain with your whole being”
Voluntary Hardship is one of the ways we can build our self
discipline. Voluntary hardship
means constantly testing ourselves and by making life
routinely uncomfortable in some
way, we are hardening ourselves for the day we may need to
live it for real. A voluntary
hardship might be skipping a meal and going hungry for a
night, having a cold shower,
not smoking, sleeping on the floor, leaving your jacket at
home when you know it’s cold
and raining out or donating half of your clothes to charity.
You could choose to go without
Social Media for a few days or throw your Smart Phone in the
drawer. Do it often enough
and will you begin to understand what scarcity and hardship
feels like and that you can live
with both if needed.
5. Practice Dichotomy of Control
Marcus Aurelius says
“You have power over
your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will
find strength”
Being distressed, being bothered by small things instantly
is terrible for discipline.
You have a goal, you’re working and then thoughts and
distress about something external,
meaning it’s out of your control, de-rails you.
The best thing you can do in these circumstances is to apply
Epictetus’ dichotomy of control.
Reinforce to yourself what is within your control and what
is out of your control; if
you embrace what’s out of your control and accept it, you
will experience tranquillity.
Refer to the following wording next time you’re distressed
and distracted
Do you have a problem in your life? No? ► Then don’t worry.
Yes? ►
Can you do something about it?… Yes? ►
Then don’t worry.
No? ►
Then don’t worry.
6. Never Play the victim
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Do your
job, without whining”
Have you said any of these? “I was just born this way.” “I
never learned anything
different.” “My parents set a terrible example.” “Everyone
else does it.” What
are these? Excuses that people use to justify staying as
they are instead of striving to
become better. You need to assume responsibility. The “why
me?” mentality is an enemy to mental toughness. You might
not be at fault, but your life depends
on you determining what’s within your control and taking
those things into your own hands.
You must train yourself to frame these things this way
instead of immediately resorting
to self pity. It’s certainly easier to pawn off blame on
others when something goes wrong.
But only those with a degree of mental fortitude are able to
step up–even when it’s not
their fault–and right the ship. Be that person who steps in
to take action, not the
one who looks the other way and casts blame. When you
victimize yourself or your current
position, you relinquish control and absolve yourself of
personal responsibility. And without
a sense of ownership, meaningful progress becomes an
impossible task.
7. Practice Delayed Gratification
In the words of
Marcus Aurelius “So you
were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doings things and
experiencing them? Don’t you
see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees
going about their individual tasks,
putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not
willing to do your job as
a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature
demands?”
Delayed gratification involves the ability to wait to get
what you want. Imagine a company
Christmas party when you encounter platters of delicious and
tempting foods when you are
trying to lose weight. If you give in and fill up your plate
with fattening goodies,
it might derail your diet, but you will get to enjoy a bit
of instant gratification.
If you manage to resist and spend the evening eating salad
and munching on carrot sticks,
then you will presumably receive an even greater reward down
the line — shedding those unwanted
pounds and being able to fit into your favorite pair of
skinny jeans.
This ability to resist temptation and stick to our goals is
often referred to as self
discipline, and delaying gratification is often seen as a
central part of this behavior.
We put off what we want now so that we can perhaps get
something else, something better,
later on.
8. Ignore Naysayers
Marcus Aurelius says “When another blames
you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to
their souls, penetrate inside
and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that
there is no need to be racked
with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion
about you”
Whenever you step out from the norm, and declare (even if
only to yourself) that you believe
that you have a special purpose in life, and that you are
going to do whatever it takes
to achieve it, you will attract naysayers. Naysayers are the
people who criticize, objects
to, or oppose something. The Naysayers just love to say nay.
They might love you, but
they are afraid of progress so they are against everything
and their opinions are just terrible
for your self discipline. You need to realise that allowing
yourself to be upset by the
opinion of someone you don’t know or don’t respect is as
foolish as getting upset about
the weather. It’s a waste of energy. Their voice does not
deserve to be heard. Don’t
hand over your peace of mind to outsiders to disrupt as they
please. You should actively
seek honest feedback from those you respect. But if someone
just has a history of being
a naysayer, ignore them.
9. Find Wise People to emulate
Marcus Aurelius says “It will even do to
socialize with men of good character, in order to model your
life on theirs, whether you
choose someone living or someone from the past”
It’s time now to look outward for answers to help strengthen
your self-discipline. Specifically,
let’s identify role models. Your role models could be your
friends, family, colleagues
who have already achieved the goal you are working towards.
Ask yourself:
Who is doing this right now? Who has successfully achieved
this goal?
Who has successfully mastered this habit? Who has
successfully made this change?
Who has the necessary self-discipline in this area?
What can I learn from this person that can help me along my
journey?
Take time to ask these people how they disciplined
themselves. Ask them how they followed through
with specific actions that got them their desired outcome.
Then use their experience
to help you discipline yourself along your own personal journey.
10. Honestly review your day
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “These are the
characteristics of the rational soul:
self-awareness, self-examination, and self- determination.
It reaps its own harvest. . . . It
succeeds in its own purpose”. One of the best ways to become
more disciplined is to
is to scrutinize yourself, and find your weak spots. Be
brutally honest and use this time
to connect with your subconscious. Practicing evening
retrospections on a consistent
basis will allow you to become more self-aware through every
step of your day because you
will be actively gathering information to formulate and
articulate constructive answers to these questions. Ask yourself,
What did I do well today? Where were my discipline and
self-control tested, where did I do good? What did I do bad, why did this
occur? And
Furthermore, how can I improve? Now you know how you can
improve tomorrow.
But don’t beat yourself up. Be like Seneca and forgive
yourself. Have some self-compassion.
Research shows that it’s forgiving yourself — not beating
yourself up — that prevents
you from continuing to put things off. And don’t just be
critical of yourself. Think
about what you did well so you can repeat it tomorrow. Be
grateful for the good that
happened today.
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