Literature and history are replete with examples of failed discipline. You know Aesop's story of The Tortoise and the Hare and the myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the latter who flew too close to the sun, melting his waxen wings. Young readers learn how Pinocchio strayed and wound up a donkey on Pleasure Island. Only time will tell whether those who lived in the arc of Jeffrey Epstein will suffer from lack of discipline.
In Spiderman, we hear the classic line from Peter Parker's uncle, "with great power comes great responsibility."
We choose a path, illustrated by Ryan Holiday's "Discipline Is Destiny" about the choices for Hercules.
“Where the road diverged lay a beautiful goddess who offered him every temptation he could imagine. Adorned in finery, she promised him a life of ease. She swore he’d never taste want or unhappiness or fear or pain. Follow her, she said, and his every desire would be fulfilled.
On the other path stood a sterner goddess in a pure white robe. She made a quieter call. She promised no rewards except those that came as a result of hard work. It would be a long journey, she said. There would be sacrifice. There would be scary moments. But it was a journey fit for a god. It would make him the person his ancestors meant him to be.”
Hercules chose virtue over vice.
Discipline impacts influence or persuasion. The Greeks included ethos (character), logos (reason), and pathos (emotion) to appeal to others.
Discipline appears in our habits. It impacts how we think, how we communicate, and especially how we act.
Disciplined people often delay gratification. They do what they don't what to do now with the expectation that it will allow them to do what they want, when they want in the future.
Disciplined people invest time instead of spending it. Alabama football coach Nick Saban describes it as "choice versus feeling."
Saban also explains discipline as "what you're willing to accept."
In coachspeak, that defines "you get what you accept." Success demands "playing harder for longer" piggybacked upon skill, strategy, and physicality. All require discipline.
I think discipline exists at an equilibrium or 'steady state'. In a given team ecosystem there is a level of inputs and results. The hope is that more or better discipline results in better outputs.
Discipline doesn't come with guarantees. Bill Walsh's book title defines the hope, The Score Takes Care of Itself. His discipline embodied imposing a Standard of Excellence across an entire organization.
In game discipline affects everything - assignments, execution, shot selection, situation and time management.
Lagniappe. Success is a system of self-belief translated into actions.
WIN THE GAME IN YOUR HEAD FIRST
— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) October 31, 2022
"Players and people break down mentally before they do breakdown physically. You're not just training them to run, jump, and do things. You're training them, hopefully, to think under pressure." (Geno Auriemma)
~ via @TheCoachJournal pic.twitter.com/ue1Dgb1GhL