Love is discipline !

Have you ever thought what does the word discipline exactly mean? Though most common meanings associated or linked with this word are those linked  to a concept of military life style characterized by every thing or activity strictly set in routines, schedules and the dogma like: place for every thing and every thing for a place etc. 

Because of the very same connotation associated with discipline, many do not approve of the thought itself very much. For them discipline is some thing to be only observed so that they are not penalized for late arrivals at work or do not lose their job or their clients or their relationships. For them being disciplined is to follow some routine under an external pressure which usually they do not like. So whenever they get a chance, they do all and every thing they can which goes against their set routines.

The reality underneath the surface is quite different in fact. When I came to discover this the first time, it was a feeling of great eureka, Ahaa I found it at last ! The word discipline  has a very deep link with the word Disciple and both the words have their roots from the Latin word Discipulus meaning pupil or trainee of a master mentor or teacher.

Thus to discipline ourselves would mean to become trainee or pupil. The question is of whom?

Let us give this another thought by understanding our vision. Vision is what we begin to see as a complete building when we have just made the first drawing. Vision is to see some thing before it happens.  Our self-vision would be to see ourselves become what we wanted to become.

To become that future self or vision of ourself, we have to learn some habits. We have to master some skill sets. We have to pass some competency levels and test. We have to develop a certain set of character. We have to sacrifice certain unwanted traits or routines or activities that won’t let us become that future self. In simple words we would need to make ourself the trainee of our very own self in future.

It is like the YOU in future is training the you today, to become that YOU in future some day. That is discipline.

It is like our favourite plant in our little garden, which we want to see as grown and blossomed in spring and we start taking care of it keeping in mind that picture of it in spring. We spend time with it. We take unwanted or dried leaves away. We polish the big green healthy spreaded open leaves. We clean it.  Water it. Spray it. We put effort in it to see it grow.

We love ourselves. We do not want to let our precious selves go waste. We value ourselves. And  some thing we value, we spend more time with it.  We spend time to nurture and to grow it. This act of putting value on ourselves and to effort in growing and facing difficulties to become that future US requires a tremendous amount of love.

Disciplining ourselves takes tremendous amount of energy called Love. Love is discipline.