The first role of discipline I introduced this week (The Primary Role) is to shape your thoughts, decisions, and actions. You already do these every day. This role gives discipline a presence and influence on the three primary factors determining your quality of life.
The second role of discipline (The Simplifier Role) is to be the deciding force for what you do and what you don’t. Turn on this role when you need to get out of your head and get going. It’s ideal when multiple forces pull you in different directions because it forces decisive action to do or not do something. Maybe I’ll call this the Yoda Role from now on: do or do not.
The third role comes into play after discipline does its job in the first two roles. This is the Quality Role of discipline. Once discipline is part of your life in either of the first two roles, you can strategically apply discipline in more targeted ways. Four of the main ways discipline can take on the quality role:
- Initiator: discipline is the trigger that moves you from zero to one, from doing nothing to doing something, from ignorant to aware, from unwilling to willing. Sometimes, one moment of discipline is the only spark you need.
- Enhancer: discipline is the way to advance, improve, or polish something that is good but has room to get better that will deliver more value. Discipline doesn’t lead you to plateaus. It leads you through plateaus.
- Accelerator: discipline is the throttle of focus, effort, and urgency to earn better results faster. Discipline is not a binary yes or no, on or off. It operates on a spectrum that moves higher and lower, more discipline or less discipline. The more discipline you put into an effort, the more intense it is, the faster you get results.
- Adjuster: discipline is the agent of change that guides you through the evolutions and transformations necessary for your life’s journey. If you are slow to adjust and evolve, you will disconnect and fall behind. If you refuse, you die. And you cannot change without discipline.
Set your foundation of discipline with some strength and consistency in the Primary and Simplifier roles. Get familiar with using them. Then, start adding strategic discipline in the Quality role:
- What can I initiate that could lead to value (production or fulfillment)?
- What do I do well that is worth enhancing?
- What progress or outcome do I want to accelerate?
- How do I need to adjust myself to stay effective and fulfilled?
Discipline is not limited to the Primary, Simplifier/Yoda, or Quality roles, but these three roles can and will carry you through life if you put them in place and put them to work!
Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.
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