Where happiness hides

The magic word for happiness 

 I hesitate to give the magic word as some people may find it scary or painful. 

The magic word is self-discipline. It is a word that for most of my life I ignored as I imagined people harshly whipping themselves painfully into shape. 

Later, I learned more about it, and it changed my life. I will explain later. First some definitions and synonyms for the word self-discipline. Some synonyms are: 

• Self-control
• Self-regulation
• Self-mastery
• Will power
• Firmness of purpose

One definition of self-discipline is this: 

“Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” 

Self-discipline is the ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you're feeling, physically or emotionally.

What is being self-disciplined? 

A while back I went through a bad time after a bad loss. I was stagnant for a few months watching TV and eating junk food. I put on weight and would get out of breath walking to the kitchen for a snack. 

I decided I better so something about it and watched a motivational video on YouTube to get me going. By accident it was about self-discipline and it changed my thinking. I had always thought that discipline is such that you suffer horribly for weeks, months or years and with overwhelming anguish, finally get some reward. 

Not very exciting. 

I learned from the video that the only discipline needed is the first time you do something. I had decided to go for a long walk around my suburb, up slopes and end with a coffee. The first time I walked uphill I nearly died. I finished my walk and had coffee and arrived home. 

I felt fantastic. The happiest I had felt in months. 

And this is the secret: Exercise has the added benefit of releasing happy hormones, but the happiness was more than that. I felt a great feeling of achievement and self-esteem and the world seemed lighter. 

The truth is that when you do something well and it is something you should do, you feel immediately great. You don’t have to wait. The reward is the same day. It encourages you to repeat the action the next day and the next day and your self-worth and self-esteem keeps going up. Self-discipline is addictive. 

It is also contagious. I didn’t decide to change my eating habits but within a few days I just noticed I was eating healthy foods and stopped ordering junk food. Soon I had lost quite a bit of weight which made me feel even better so started adding more good things to my life. 

It turned my life around without effort or suffering. 

We aren’t born with self-discipline; it’s a learned behaviour. And just like any other skill you want to master; it requires daily practice and repetition. It can become habitual. 

So, work on building your self-discipline through daily habits in each area associated with a goal.  Create new habits and rituals. You will feel instant well-being.

Acquiring self-discipline and working on a new habit can feel daunting at first, especially if you focus on the entire task at hand. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, keep it simple. Break your goal into small steps. Instead of trying to change everything at once, focus on doing one thing, and master self-discipline with that goal in mind. 

 Take baby steps. Eventually, when your mindset and behaviour start to shift, you can add more goals to your list. 

Self-discipline is the surprising road to joy and happiness.

“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” ~ MARCUS AURELIUS

 “The first and best victory is to conquer self.” ~ PLATO