Choose Discipline, Embrace Growth
I couldn’t help but marvel at how discipline has shaped me over these past years. I discovered it when I most needed structure and accountability, like unearthing a gem hidden beneath layers of dirt, only to find its true brilliance once I dusted it off.
It boils down to one simple truth: you can’t escape discipline, you either choose it, or suffer in its absence. Anyone who owns their actions and embraces extreme ownership will recognize this. If you’ve yet to find discipline, let this be your starting point.
Discipline is never easy. It’s never the path of least resistance. It’s the early-morning runs when your bed begs you to stay. It’s veggies and lean meats over fast food. It’s putting down your phone and giving your full attention to your wife. Had I chosen comfort instead, my life would look very different:
No ultramarathons to my name.
No role at a company that challenges and rewards me.
A marriage far less resilient, far less rich in shared strength.
But leaning into difficulty, that is precisely the path we were meant to walk. Stray from it, and everything unravels: your routines falter, your work ethic wanes, your moral compass blurs, and you never glimpse your true potential.
Why, then, do we recoil from discipline? Because we crave ease, and the world today offers comfort at every turn. Yet Marcus Aurelius—in Meditations—reminds us that our nature is action, not idle warmth:
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: ‘I have to go to my work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for?’
“‘But it’s nicer here…’
“So you were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doing things and experiencing them?
“Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants… putting the world in order? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being?
“Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?”
Even an emperor understood that comfort, unchecked, becomes a slow poison. It seeps into every corner of life—turning missed workouts into years of inactivity, ambition into mere survival, and vibrancy into regret. The antidote? Discipline.
Discipline keeps you grounded in your values, your routines, and your progress. In the moment, it may feel harsh—an unwelcome burden—but once the moment passes, you reap the reward of your labor. If building this muscle feels daunting, start small: one deliberate action today that proves to yourself you can do it. With each repetition, your resolve strengthens; soon, discipline becomes your unshakable foundation.
Embracing discipline is not a one-off event but a lifelong commitment to becoming your best self. There is no limit to who you can be when you exercise this power. So why wait? Choose discipline today, because in its embrace, you truly come alive.