Can self discipline be learnt or is it one of those character traits people get born with?
This question randomly dropped into my mind a few days ago. And it made me think about how so many people tell me I’m one of the most disciplined people they know. Which kind of gets me surprised because I don’t really see myself that way. I’ve never seen myself as one focused or hardworking person.
Because I have my own internal struggles when it comes to getting things done. And I just see every task as something that needs to get done and moved out of the way. But I didn’t realize that self discipline also encompasses remaining focused. And completing tasks before you in spite of whatever internal struggles you might have concerning that task.
So when I sat to think about it, I saw that not a lot of people were like me. I saw that not everyone saw tasks the way I did. As something that needs to be done and strive to do it without losing focus. Which made me ask myself if I was born that way or I learnt this trait along the way.
How to develop new habits for the new year
Oh well, nobody was born that way, we all learnt things like discipline, self control, focus, etc, when we got to planet earth. And definitely learnt them from somewhere or from someone. Which is not far from the truth for me.
It’s weird but that one incident that gives me the most motivation. And helps me stay focused when I am losing steam is something that happened when I was about 9 years old.
How I learnt self discipline
I was in Primary 5 according to the Nigerian educational system. The final class before we all make our way into high school. And by my school’s principles, when there is an inter – school competition coming up, primary 5 students were the ones mandated to represent the school.
So it happened that a big quiz competition was coming up. And expectedly, I was very excited because I assumed I was going to be part of the crew representing the school. Since normally, students who got within the range of 1st to 5th positions in the previous school term were always chosen. And I was 4th position.
So it came as a shock to me when it was announced that only pupils within the 1st to 3rd positions were going to be selected for this particular quiz competition. This got me crushed beyond words by the standards of a 9 year old. I got home dejected, refused to enter the house and cried my eyes out.
It’s funny now but then it wasn’t.
Thankfully my uncle was around for a visit. He stepped out of the house, saw the state I was in and asked what the problem was. I explained the dilemma to him and he said something which did a 360 on me and changed me till today. He told me to wipe my tears and look at the new term as a clean state.
A chance to show myself and my school that not only can I be among the best, I can also be the best. He told me to envision where I see myself at the end of the school term. And start working towards it. I don’t know why but I listened to him.
That term, I put myself through a strict and consistent reading regimen, never wavering. Because my goal was to be 1st position. And I did it. That was the beginning of me setting goals for myself and working consistently towards achieving them.
Because I thought if I could ace the insurmountable task of being first position in my class by being focused, I could do anything I set my heart on. All I need to do is to employ self discipline. And have a picture of the end product of that goal at the back of my mind.
Quite a long story but that is that one incident that drives me. And also helps me stay focused till now as an adult.
What about you? How did you learn self discipline? Was it something that was instilled in you as a child or something you learnt as an adult?
Please share in the comments section. I would love to hear from you.
