Is Self Discipline a Skill or an Innate Trait?
When a child is born, he cries if he feels pain. He weeps when he is hungry. These traits are innate—innate means inborn traits. As the child grows, he learns to control feelings of hunger and pain. Once learned, he does not cry when he is hungry or in pain. Instead, he eats food or seeks for the relief of his pain. This self-control he learns during his growth. Self-control is the term synonym to self-discipline. The child learns self-discipline with experiences in life. Any trait which is learned with time is considered a skill. Thus we can say that self-discipline is a skill, not an innate trait.
Self-discipline is the most important skill needed in life. It attracts opportunities and converts the talent into ability. Napoleon Hills once said that self-discipline is the starting point of all the great achievements. So it is essential to develop the skill of self-discipline. However, most of us fail to develop this skill. The reason behind failure is that it is painful to practice this skill.
Hey, I acknowledge it is painful to stay self-disciplined. But listen! You have to experience one of the two pains in your life. Either you face the pain of self-discipline or the pain of regrets and disappointments. So, it’s your choice which pain you choose to bear. Wise and successful people choose to bear the pain of self-discipline and make everything possible. As Theodor Roosevelt said that by self-discipline, everything is possible.
It was his self-discipline that made Theodor Roosevelt the greatest reformist president in American history. So, if you want to be great, you have to win victory over yourself_ Self-discipline. If you want to become an example and motivation for others, develop the skill of self-discipline in you. Stay with me, I’ll show in this article, how you can develop this skill.
What Does the Term Self Discipline Actually Mean?
Before going to learn how to develop the skill of self-discipline, it is essential to know ‘what is self-discipline?’ Self-discipline is your ability to control your feelings and overcome your weaknesses. Cambridge dictionary defined self-discipline as the ability that makes yourself do things you know you should do even when you do not want to.
Self-discipline is your ability to stay motivated even when you feel de-motivated. It helps you push yourself forward when circumstances are against you. It’s like freedom- freedom from self-doubts, anxiety, and stress. Under the next heading, you will learn how self-discipline makes your life valuable.
Self Discipline Makes Your Life valuable- Learn How
It is human nature that we put our time and energy in those things only, which we see add some value to our lives. So here, you will find how self-discipline is important. What is the value of self-discipline in your life? It is to make you feel that you are not wasting your time by learning about self-discipline.
Self-discipline increases your focus on the work. It also decreases anxiety and depression. It helps you get rid of bad habits. In this way, your physical and mental health improves. Your relationships are positively affected by your good physical and mental health conditions. You become happier, more gratified, and more resilient. Consequently, your efficiency enhances paving your way to success.
Jim Rohn stated that self-discipline is a bridge between goals and accomplishments. A stronger bridge will help you achieve high goals in your life. So, developing the skill of self-discipline is extremely important in life to turn your dreams into reality.
If you read the lives of great people, you will find the first victory they won was over them. Self-discipline with all of them came first. So, if you want to be successful in life, first win yourself- by developing the skill of self-discipline in you. Self-discipline is the attribute that differentiates the highly successful people from the failures.
Readers, you have learned how self-discipline is important in life. Let’s expose some handy tips to develop the skill of self-discipline in you in the upcoming section.
Self Discipline is Skill- How You Can Develop it
I am 100% sure that if you have become aware of the importance of self-discipline in life, you will be anxiously looking for ways to develop self-discipline. In this section, you will get the answer. Self-discipline is a skill that is learned with practice. Here are some handy tips for developing self-discipline.
1. Plan a Strategy in Your Life
If you are waiting for the day when you will awake blessed with self-discipline. Then be aware! You are wrong. You will not be suddenly blessed with self-discipline. Instead, you need to plan a clear strategy in your life. A clearly planned strategy will help you work more efficiently.
2. Limit Your Temptations
The temptation is basically your desire to do what you actually should not do. In other words, It is a desire to do something wrong, or that is unwise. Temptations are the most significant obstacle on your way to success. These distract you while you are working. So to develop self-discipline, you are required to limit your temptations.
3. Keep Focus on Rewards
You might have observed if you are teaching your child, and the child gets tired. You ask him to do work, but he denies working more. Then you promise him for a bar of chocolate on the condition to complete the work. This trick works, and your child efficiently finishes the work. How did it happen? It happened because chocolate became the motivation and ultimate focus of the child.
Similar trick you can use. Just imagine a gold medal by working hard for few nights how pleasing it feels? Or how do you feel imagining you as a renowned business tycoon, by working some fixed hours daily? So keeping a focus on rewards will help you develop self-discipline.
4. Take Risks, Make Mistakes, and Learn from Them
It is another tip that you can use to develop the skill of self-discipline in you. By not taking risks, you might lose a great opportunity or miss a big lesson for life. So, take risks in your life. It’s ok to make mistakes. Mistakes are not your failure; instead, these are part of your success. Someone asked Thomas Alva Edison that you failed multiple times. He replied that I learned multiple ways that could lead to my failure, so I should avoid them.
5. Win Your Fears
Winning your fears is the most important tip that you can use to develop your self- discipline. Practice the things that fear you most daily. Fears are nothing more than a state of mind. So if you manage to stabilize your state of mind by practicing, you will gain victory over your fears. It will help you develop the skill of self-discipline in you and excel with more potential in life.
In Conclusion
To sum it up, Is Self Discipline a Skill? Yes! It can be learned with practice and experiences. Self-discipline is extremely important to live a stable life. Self-discipline is the best form of discipline because it makes your entire life disciplined.
You can develop self-discipline by planning your strategies, limiting your temptations, focusing on rewards, taking risks, and winning your fears. It will not be developed in a day or a month; instead, you need to be consistent and patient throughout the way to develop self-discipline.
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