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Self-Discipline Is Essential To Do Anything Remarkable
Yet, we’ve likely been neglecting it our entire lives
Contrast
Those around me have always praised my self-discipline. I find it fascinating that I have only learned to appreciate it when compared to other people’s. As far as I was concerned, I was never disciplined enough; I always felt I could do more and that there was room for improvement. Such is the way of perfectionism. While a thirst for improvement benefits anybody, an obsession is eventually unhealthy. It is particularly noxious when it blurs our perception of reality, as was clearly my case: people thought I was exceptionally committed while I felt like a hopeless procrastinator.
Essential
In any case, I believe my focus on self-discipline wasn’t misplaced. Indeed, we need it to achieve anything we set our minds to do. I am not talking only about big ambitions and dreams. I mean anything, any personal project or plan, finding a career we love or accommodation that makes us happy, tending to our friendships and relationships — they all need a level of self-discipline. There is no other way around it: anything that matters, anything that is remarkable, anything meaningful requires a degree of grit and willpower.