Thinking of discipline as an on/off switch is detrimental to your health—emotionally, physically, and socially. This either/or approach creates dramatic swings in your experience and behavior patterns.
When the switch feels "on", confidence and action flows. When the switch feels "off", confidence is gone, replaced by doubt. Action dries up in favor of avoidance.
What happens when you live with the on/off switch mentality:
- Constant emotional swings → Flipping back and forth between these mental states takes its toll. Obviously it's frustrating. More than that it's confusing and exhausting.
- Disappointment spiral → Something I hear frequently from good people is that even when their discipline is "on" they feel the sting of disappointment that it is "off" too often when they really need it.
- Self-defeating cycle → When that happens enough, they use their disappointment as evidence to keep discipline "off" longer and longer, doubting their ability to follow through.
- Progress blindness → The on/off view of discipline distorts your view of yourself and kills any sense of progress.
There’s a better way through life.
Stop trying to flip the switch. Start making deposits.
Instead of seeing discipline as a switch you turn on and off, see it as a series of investments you make into things you value in yourself and your life.
What the investment mindset looks like:
- Daily deposits → Discipline grows through repeated contributions (even just 5 minutes), not dramatic one-time efforts.
- Compound interest → Each act of discipline builds on previous acts and grows your stack of contributions.
- Win the war → Invest in disciplines that may not deliver big rewards in the short-term but payoff great in the long-term.
- Identity alignment → Direct your discipline toward what truly matters to you, not what you think you "should" be doing.
For the rest of this month: Make three intentional discipline deposits each day, no matter how small. Write them down each morning or the night before for clarity. Track how these daily deposits affect your confidence, mental state, and relationship with discipline over time. Especially as it compares to the on/off switch approach.
Remember: You're not turning switches on and off—you're building an investment portfolio of discipline to grow the assets you care most about.
Join the Daily Discipline Community: We’re all making deposits every day. Join the community where you can share your experiences, learn from others, and learn with others as we dig deeper into the unsolved areas and unachieved objectives most important to you.
Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.
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