Discipline

Self-discipline refers to one's ability to control one's behavior and actions to achieve a goal or to maintain a certain standard of conduct. It is the ability to train oneself to do things that should be done and resist things that should be avoided. This includes setting goals, staying focused, and making sacrifices to those goals. Self-discipline requires practice and effort, but it can lead to improved productivity, better decision-making, and greater success in life.{{cite web |last1=Gleeson |first1=Brent |title=9 Powerful Ways To Cultivate Extreme Self-Discipline |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2020/08/25/8-powerful-ways-to-cultivate-extreme-self-discipline/?sh=228aad8182d6 |website=Forbes |access-date=22 January 2024 |language=en}}

Self-discipline can also be defined as the ability to give up immediate pleasures for long-term goals (deferred gratification).{{cite web |last1=Simons |first1=Ilana |title=The Difference Between Habit and Discipline |date=15 July 2009|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-literary-mind/200907/the-difference-between-habit-and-discipline |website=PsychologyToday |access-date=17 September 2021}} Discipline is grounded in the ability to leave one's comfort zone. Habit is about wanting to change for the better, not for pain. To forego or sacrifice immediate pleasure requires thought and focused discipline. Self-discipline is about one's ability to control their desires and impulses to keep themselves focused on what needs to get done to successfully achieve a goal.{{cite web |last1=Sicinski |first1=Adam |title=The Complete Guide on How to Develop Focused Self-Discipline |url=https://blog.iqmatrix.com/self-discipline |website=blog iqmatrix |date=18 August 2015 |access-date=20 September 2021}} It is about taking small, consistent steps of daily action to build a strong set of disciplined habits that fulfill your objectives. One trains themselves to follow rules and standards that help determine, coalesce, and line up one's thoughts and actions with the task at hand.{{r|Sicinski}} Small acts allow one to achieve greater goals. The key component of self-discipline is the trait of perseverance.{{cite web |title=How to Discipline Yourself With 10 Habits |url=https://www.wanderlustworker.com/how-to-discipline-yourself-with-10-habits/ |website=wanderlustworker |date=18 August 2019 |access-date=27 September 2021}} Daily choices accumulate to produce changes one wants the most, despite obstacles. Self-discipline, determination, and perseverance are similar to grit.

Discipline is about internal and external consistencies. One must decide on what is right from wrong (internal consistency) and adhere to external regulation, which is to have compliance with rules (external consistency).{{cite web |title=What is the importance of discipline in life? |url=https://www.digitalclassworld.com/blog/importance-of-discipline-in-life/ |access-date=17 September 2021 |website=DigitalClassWorld}} Discipline is used to "expend some effort" to do something one does not feel motivated to do.{{cite web |last1=Carpenter |first1=Erin |date=26 October 2018 |title=Why Discipline is More Important than Motivation |url=https://thrivecounselingdenver.com/habits/discipline-is-more-important-than-motivation/ |access-date=13 September 2021 |website=thrivecounselingdenver}} Discipline is an action that completes, furthers, or solidifies a goal, not merely one's thoughts and feelings. An action conforms to a value. In other words, one allows values to determine one's own choices.

Self-discipline may prevent procrastination.{{cite web |last1=Levi |first1=Jonathan |title=Rory Vaden on self-discipline procrastination and multiplying your time podcast |url=https://superhumanacademy.com/podcast/rory-vaden-on-self-discipline-procrastination-and-multiplying-your-time-podcast/ |website=superhumanacademy |access-date=15 September 2021}} People regret things they have not done compared to things they have done.Butthole Surfers, "Sweat Loaf" Locust Abortion Technician (1987){{cite journal |last1=Roese |first1=Neal J. |last2=Summerville |first2=Amy |title=What We Regret Most... and Why |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |date=September 2005 |volume=31 |issue=9 |pages=1273–1285 |doi=10.1177/0146167205274693 |pmid=16055646 |pmc=2394712 |hdl=2374.MIA/4408 |s2cid=19939054 |hdl-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Yeung |first1=Siu Kit |last2=Feldman |first2=Gilad |title=Revisiting the Temporal Pattern of Regret in Action Versus Inaction: Replication of Gilovich and Medvec (1994) With Extensions Examining Responsibility |journal=Collabra: Psychology |date=2022 |volume=8 |issue=1 |doi=10.1525/collabra.37122 |doi-access=free }} When one procrastinates, they spend time on things that avoid a goal. Procrastination is not always caused by laziness or relaxation.{{cite web |title=What is Procrastination |url=https://procrastination.com/what-is-procrastination |website=procrastination |access-date=15 September 2021}} One can procrastinate due to failure or inability to learn.{{Cite journal|last=Ganesan|display-authors=etal|date=2014|title=Procrastination and the 2 x 2 achievement goal framework in Malaysian undergraduate students|url=https://www.academia.edu/download/44130586/PROCRASTINATION_AND_THE_2_x_2_ACHIEVEMENT_GOAL_FRAMEWORK.pdf|journal=Psychology in the Schools|volume=51|issue=5|pages=506–516|doi=10.1002/pits.21760}}{{dead link|date=July 2022|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

A life-changing habit enhances health, working life, and quality of life. Habits are established in three stages:{{cite web |last1=Bartlett |first1=Ryan |title=Self Discipline—The biggest lie ever told |url=https://www.visionpersonaltraining.com/expert-hub/expert-articles/weight-loss/self-discipline-the-biggest-lie-ever-told |website=visionpersonaltraining |date=2 February 2017 |access-date=15 September 2021}}

1. Trigger (the thing that initiates the behavior)
2. Behavior (the action one takes)
3. Reward (the benefit one gains from doing the behavior)

To effectively utilize this three-step process, it is essential to recognize emotional triggers and maintain a consistent reward. Identifying one's emotional responses helps pinpoint behavioral patterns that prompt learned routines and outcomes. These patterns might hinder goal achievement. Transforming these responses involves finding alternative ways to fulfill emotional needs and adopting preferred behaviors. Discovering the required emotional state requires effort, as does establishing new, healthier habits that satisfy one's needs.

There are connections between motivation, self-discipline, and habits:{{cite news |last1=Gene |first1=David |title=The Synergy of Motivation, Discipline, and Habits |url=https://healthfitnessandmore.net/the-synergy-of-motivation-discipline-and-habits/ |website=healthfitnessandmore |date=24 December 2018 |access-date=27 September 2021}}

Motivation is the initial emotional drive or inspiration to help one develop one's goals and actions.

When motivation begins to waver, it is a self-discipline that makes one continue despite one's emotions and thoughts.

Over time, self-discipline diminishes as one's behaviors and actions become habits.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

It takes two months for a new habit to form, according to research by Phillippa Lally and colleagues.{{multiref2

|1={{cite web |last1=Clear |first1=James |title=How Long Does it Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science) |url=https://jamesclear.com/new-habit |website=jamesclear |date=6 March 2014 |access-date=13 September 2021}}

|2={{cite journal | last1=Lally | first1=Phillippa | last2=van Jaarsveld | first2=Cornelia H. M. | last3=Potts | first3=Henry W. W. | last4=Wardle | first4=Jane | title=How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world | journal=European Journal of Social Psychology | publisher=Wiley | volume=40 | issue=6 | date=16 July 2009 | issn=0046-2772 | doi=10.1002/ejsp.674 | pages=998–1009| hdl=10400.12/3364 | s2cid=15466675 | hdl-access=free}} }} Making a mistake has no measurable impact on any long-term habits.{{cite web |last1=Clear |first1=James |title=How to Change Your Beliefs and Stick to Your Goals for Good |url=https://medium.com/the-blog-of-james-clear/how-to-change-your-beliefs-and-stick-to-your-goals-for-good-20deeb030667 |website=JamesClear.com |access-date=23 January 2024 |language=en |date=7 November 2014}}{{Cite web |last=Clear |first=James |date=2014-03-06 |title=How Long Does it Actually Take to Form a New Habit? (Backed by Science) |url=https://jamesclear.com/new-habit#:~:text=Making%20a%20mistake%20once%20or,getting%20back%20on%20track%20quickly. |access-date=2024-11-30 |website=James Clear |language=en-US}} Habit-making is a process and not an event.

When one is developing habits to overcome impulses that represent easy paths to short-term gratification, they need control over their mind.{{cite web |last1=Wojcik |first1=Chris |title=This Single Habit Took My Discipline to the Next Level |url=https://medium.com/mind-cafe/this-single-habit-took-my-discipline-to-the-next-level-61cf02785f1c |website=Medium |date=14 September 2021 |access-date=15 September 2021}} Gaining control over one's minds, and taking a proactive approach, enables them to navigate challenges without becoming overly fixated on failure, financial strains, or anxiety. Mental anxiety, in particular, can contribute to heightened sensitivity to our surroundings, possibly leading to unnecessary alarmism.{{cite web |last1=Brett, Kate |first1=McKay |title=The 7 Habits: Be Proactive, Not Reactive |url=https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/7-habits-proactive-not-reactive/ |website=artofmanliness |date=18 April 2021 |access-date=15 September 2021}} Chronic stress can be detrimental to the development of the executive function, and may make us perceive problems where they do not exist, as outnumbering the solutions, according to Hauser-Cram Heyman.{{cite journal | last1=Heyman | first1=M. | last2=Hauser-Cram | first2=P. | title=Negative life events predict performance on an executive function task in young adults with developmental disabilities | journal=Journal of Intellectual Disability Research | publisher=Wiley | volume=59 | issue=8 | date=6 January 2015 | issn=0964-2633 | doi=10.1111/jir.12181 | pages=746–754| pmid=25559271 }}

Brett McKay recommends to focus on one's circle of influence—what one can control—rather than one's own sphere of concern, which encompasses things beyond one's control. Self-discipline can be as straightforward as tackling a challenging task before bedtime or during other moments of the day; it is about carving out a portion of one's day to cultivate self-discipline.{{cite web |last1=Wojcik |first1=Chris |title=This Single Habit Took My Discipline to the Next Level |url=https://chrismwojcik.substack.com/p/this-single-habit-took-my-discipline |website=ChrisMWojcik Substack |date=17 September 2021 |access-date=20 September 2021}} It involves resisting the temptation of opting for the easiest route (primitive urges) to achieve long-term goals.

A person's actions are a product of one's ability to control themselves, both positively and negatively. Habits are automatic mechanisms that conserve one's willpower energy. About 40% of a person's actions are driven by programmed habits.{{cite web |title=The World Counts |url=https://www.theworldcounts.com/purpose/psychology-of-habits |website=www.theworldcounts.com |access-date=2 February 2024}}{{cite web |title=How we form habits, change existing ones |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140808111931.htm |website=ScienceDaily |access-date=2 February 2024 |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Verplanken |first1=Bas |last2=Wood |first2=Wendy |title=Interventions to Break and Create Consumer Habits |journal=Journal of Public Policy & Marketing |date=April 2006 |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=90–103 |doi=10.1509/jppm.25.1.90}}{{cite web |last1=MS |first1=Derrick Price |title=The 6-Step Approach for Creating New Habits |url=https://www.ideafit.com/personal-training/habit-based-coaching-finding-the-right-cues-to-reap-rewards/ |website=IDEA Health & Fitness Association |access-date=2 February 2024 |date=9 May 2017}} The longer one holds to bad habits, the more difficult it is to break free from them.{{cite web |last1=Stark |first1=Ako |title=How to Discipline Yourself With 10 Habits |url=https://medium.com/@akostark/how-to-discipline-yourself-with-10-habits-c46ad7304319 |website=Medium |date=19 July 2019 |access-date=18 September 2021}} As one resists temptations, one's desires get stronger.{{cite web |title=Indistractable by Nir Eya |url=https://semisentient.medium.com/indistractable-by-nir-eyal-cca75ba00f16 |website=SemiSentientSentinel |date=29 August 2021 |access-date=18 September 2021}}

Choices often involve a trade-off between with short-term pleasure in exchange for long-term pain (immediate gratification) or short-term pain and long-term pleasure (delayed gratification).{{cite web |last1=Davies |first1=Sam Thomas |title=Habits Aren't Enough. You Need Discipline As Well |url=https://thoughtcatalog.com/sam-davies/2015/01/habits-arent-enough-you-need-discipline-as-well/ |website=ThoughtCatalog |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=21 September 2021}} Discipline entails executing habits precisely as intended, enhancing the likelihood of accomplishment and overcoming competing behaviors. Acting promptly exemplifies discipline, while habits are built on preparedness and inclination. This requires a suitable level of buffering against competing behaviors.

There are three ways to learn to build discipline, according to Sam Thomas Davies:

• self-assessment

: Determine the underlying reason for requiring discipline. Address resistance by identifying its source and counteracting it through commitment instead of making excuses or yielding to peer pressure.

• self-awareness

: Learn why oneself does not break their habits, mostly due to a lack of awareness about the ease of succumbing to impulses rather than staying committed. A remedy is to eliminate any distractions.

• self-celebration

: Celebrate and reward daily accomplishments, even if one fails to live up to one's expectations. Each outcome provides an opportunity for learning and growth.

There are two types of goals: active and passive.{{cite web |title=Five Keystone Habits to Help you achieve anything in your life |url=https://www.wanderlustworker.com/five-keystone-habits-to-help-you-achieve-anything-in-your-life/ |website=wanderlustworker |date=27 October 2014 |access-date=27 September 2021}} Passive goals are ideas, while active goals are concrete plans with specific measures and steps. This includes setting long-term objectives and planning daily tasks. Creating active goals provides direction and helps prevent distractions by outlining precisely what needs to be done.

Self-discipline is an important principle in several religious systems. For example, in Buddhist ethics as outlined in the Noble Eightfold Path, both Right View and Right Mindfulness have been described as a moral discipline.Bodhi (2005), p. 153.{{complete citation needed|date=July 2023}}

For some varieties of Christian ethics, virtues directed by the Beatitudes were preceded by ascetical theology and obedience-based discipline. This shift transformed the focus from the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to one of authority, which, though blessed, did not carry the same happiness as that derived from adherence and observances. During the Middle Ages, spirituality and morality were closely intertwined.{{cite web |last1=Bouchard |first1=Charles E. |title=What Is "Prudential Personalism"? Why Does It Matter? |url=https://www.chausa.org/publications/health-progress/article/march-april-2007/what-is-prudential-personalism-why-does-it-matter- |website=chausa.org |publisher=Catholic Health Association of the United States |access-date=18 May 2019}} The Beatitudes gained prominence as an organizational principle after Saint Augustine. However, Christian ethics as a form of discipline did not fully emerge until the Late Middle Ages. Alongside Lutheranism and the post-Enlightenment era, obedience-based discipline coexists.

According to the Qur'an of the muslim, "[t]he discipline is maintain with respect to time(follow the time management), obedience to rules and obeying and respecting to the elders. "

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "[t]he object, the intention, and the circumstances make up the three 'sources' of the morality of human acts."{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P5T.HTM|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|at=¶1757}} The Holy Spirit is essential for comprehending "the eternal Word of the living God, [and] must... open (our) minds to understand the Scriptures."{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__PP.HTM|title=Catechism of the Catholic Church|publisher=Libreria Editrice Vaticana|at=par. ¶108}}

Self-discipline is how self-control is gained, and the way hope is maintained.{{cite web |title=1 Peter 1:16: Christians God-like Men, The duty and discipline of Christian hope |url=https://biblehub.com/sermons/1_peter/1-16.htm |access-date=18 May 2019 |website=biblehub.com |quote=Hope follows desire. The vigour of our hopes is affected by the warmth of our desires. The warmth of our desires towards the future depends largely on the turning away of our desires from the present.}}

{{main|Self-control}}

Gaining self-control involves managing reactions. External events or outcomes in one's life can never be controlled, yet reactions and attitudes can.

Maintaining a disciplined mind leads to effective reactions. Firstly, boredom can be created if one is not occupied. Secondly, lack of discipline may cause problems for social, mental, and academic performance, as excessive worry about future events consumes time. Thirdly, discipline helps preserve peace and order. Lastly, the disciplined person understands the consequences of their actions.{{cn|reason=|date=August 2023}}

Self-control includes avoiding impulsivity, eating disorders, and addictive behaviors.{{cite web |title=Self-Control |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/basics/self-control |website=PsychologyToday |access-date=22 September 2021}} Overcoming such tendencies is an initial step for personal improvement. The ability to regulate one's emotions and behavior is a key component of the brain's executive function that helps to plan, monitor, and attain goals. Succumbing to immediate impulses hinders both internal growth and external impact. Self-control entails resisting certain actions, whereas discipline involves adopting routines to cultivate positive habits. Self-control means effective decision-making amid competing choices, while discipline fosters the accumulation of habits to bolster success; thus, self-control and discipline may overlap. Anyone can benefit from healthy habits and can take measures to control their behavior.

Four strategies are:

• situation selection, avoiding situations where one will be likely to confront temptations
• situation modification, doing what one can to reduce the pull of the temptation in the situation that arises
• distraction, trying to distract oneself with better alternatives
• reappraisal, changing the way one thinks about a bad habit{{cite web |last1=McQuillan |first1=Susan |title=4 Ways to Avoid Temptation and Reach Your Goals |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cravings/201911/4-ways-avoid-temptation-and-reach-your-goals |website=PsychologyToday |access-date=22 September 2021}}

{{excerpt|Child discipline}}

{{excerpt|Positive discipline}}

{{excerpt|School discipline}}

• {{annotated link|Conformity}}
• {{annotated link|Deindividuation}}
• {{annotated link|Diligence}}
• {{annotated link|Discipline (BDSM)}}
• {{annotated link|Disinhibition}}
• {{annotated link|Domestic discipline (disambiguation)}}
• {{annotated link|Enkrateia (self-control) }}
• {{annotated link|Military discipline}}
• {{annotated link|Norm (social)}}
• {{annotated link|Obedience}}
• {{annotated link|Rigour}}
• {{annotated link|Work ethic}}

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Category:Training

Category:Behavior modification

Category:Virtue

Category:Codes of conduct