Do we need to be disciplined or self-disciplined?

Do we need to be disciplined or self-disciplined?
In life, we surely need both. But the one to develop is self-discipline.

Why?

We all learn to be disciplined in our society.
At school, from the youngest age, we learn rules and routines. When I can speak. When I can’t. When I have to do maths. When I have to learn history. When I take a break…

At work, I need to be disciplined to start on time, focus on my tasks, and submit my report on a specific date.
It’s a kind of conditioning to reactive activities. 

The only legitimate form of discipline is self-discipline.” Jim Collins

But have you been taught to be self-disciplined?

To dig inside, to understand what you want to do, and build your own plan.
And that’s the key. Learn to engage with self-discipline, and you’ll be unstoppable. You’ll find a new energy level in your life.

You’re going to develop activities from “in to out“; to be proactive versus reactive. (see: Habit 1: Be Proactive)
It’s often more difficult to start these activities, but it’s worth it. You always feel better after, you learn, progress, and do what you want, not what the others want for you. That gives an incredible feeling of fulfillment.

I started my career in sales. (see: Why sales is a great job and a potential career accelerator.)
We were often changing our processes and tools, and I felt that the administrative work was eating my productive time. But I had to discipline myself and follow the rules.
I could still improve my knowledge of the tools and processes and gain efficiency (proactive). But these activities were imposed, they did not bring me a lot of interest.

On the contrary, without no one asking me, I regularly ran analyses on my activities and performance. I found patterns that helped me to improve my approach. From there, I built my own plan, applied self-discipline, and the compound effect occurred; my business overgrew.
These activities were proactive. I learned a lot and gained a feeling of fulfillment.

But let’s see it from a different angle.

Let’s assume you loved to draw since childhood.
Your environment — school, parents — told you that it was not a real job.
So, you got very disciplined, studied a lot, and became a lawyer.

In your inner self, you still dream of drawing. But in between the family, friends, work, and life obligations, you feel it’s quite impossible.

That’s where self-discipline enters in.

• You do your research on “How can I learn to draw next to my job?”
• You find books, blogs, tutorials, and training that inspire you.
• You develop a plan and dedicate 30 minutes per day, first thing in the morning. It’s your time; no one can take it from you. (see: How do you start doing the things you want to do?)
• You enjoy it and start to do more during weekends and holidays.
• You learn new techniques and develop your skills. Self-discipline brings out your talent.

5 years later, you run a successful blog that teaches people law using your drawing talent.

A perfect example of Skill stacking developed by Scott Adams.

The idea is that you can raise your market value by being merely good—not extraordinary—at more than one skill.”

Both discipline and self-discipline have value. But self-discipline develops a muscle that can take you anywhere.

Develop your self-discipline and achieve your dreams.