The Value of discipline is important to bring efficiency and success to any activity. Without discipline energy, resources, time and effort can all go to waste. Human effort and resources need to be channelized in a particular direction to be effective and focused. Without focus, they will get dissipated and we see several such examples in life, where due to lack of discipline, good intentions fail in realizing the desired outcomes.
Discipline is a multi-faceted skill and all the multiple factors involved need to work like a well-oiled machine for a disciplined effort to happen. At the very core, discipline is the intentional act of focusing and channelizing energy, effort and resources under some pre-decided rules and boundaries. This leads to a concentrated effort, by optimal use of resources and time.
But there are many variations in the need and relevance of the range of discipline. For example, in an army setting discipline means something else. There you need a very high level of discipline because a lack of discipline in a critical situation can mean the difference between life and death. Similarly, in fields like Medicine. But in some other areas like school, discipline though is very important has to be implemented at a lesser degree of severity, for it to be optimally productive.
Basic types of discipline: Discipline can be of various types:
- Physical discipline: Exercise and physical fitness activities demand a good level of physical discipline: to train your body to gradually increasing levels of fitness. Sports too require Physical discipline so that the activity happens in a coordinated and planned manner. It requires a great amount of physical discipline to train yourself in a particular sport over the years, and perform under stress at competitive levels.
- Psychological discipline: Developing stamina, motivation and drive are areas of psychological or emotional discipline. Avoiding temptations, and focusing on the desired goal are key attributes. The power of the mind is infinite. But it takes a lot of mental discipline to manifest it.
- Spiritual discipline: Prayer and meditation are forms of Spiritual disciplines. Various religions advocate various forms. The main focus is peace of mind and inner happiness.
Conclusion: If you need to succeed at anything in life, you need to understand and implement the Value of discipline.