Building Self-Discipline: Insights from Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius' key insights on self-discipline emphasize finding purpose, committing to action, and practicing consistency and delayed gratification.

### Marcus Aurelius' 10 Key Insights for Building Self-Discipline
* 🎯 Self-discipline begins with identifying your **purpose**, as it provides the **internal desire and motivation** to achieve your goals.
* 📅 Form a practical action plan with deadlines and mini-milestones to prevent feeling overwhelmed and succumbing to procrastination.
1. **Set Clear Goals**: Define specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the project.
   
2. **Break Down Tasks**: Divide the project into smaller, manageable tasks to prevent feeling overwhelmed.
3. **Prioritize Tasks**: Identify the most critical tasks and prioritize them based on deadlines and importance.
4. **Create a Timeline**: Establish deadlines for each task and set a final deadline for the project completion.
5. **Set Mini-Milestones**: Break down tasks further into mini-milestones with specific deadlines to track progress.
6. **Allocate Time**: Schedule dedicated time slots for each task and milestone in your calendar.
7. **Eliminate Distractions**: Create a conducive work environment by minimizing distractions to enhance focus.
8. **Use Time Management Techniques**: Employ techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to work in focused intervals with short
* 🌟 Consistency is crucial for self-discipline; **show up every day and put in the work to develop the habit**.
* 🏋 Practice **voluntary hardship** by regularly testing and pushing yourself **outside your comfort zone**.
* 🧠 Apply the **Dichotomy of Control** to focus on what is **within your control** and find **tranquility**.
* ❌ Never play the victim; **take responsibility for what you can control** and **take action**.
* ⏳ Practice delayed gratification by resisting **instant rewards** for **long-term benefits**.
* 🙉 Ignore naysayers and do not let their opinions affect your **self-discipline**.
* Find **wise people to emulate**, learn from their experiences, and **model your life after them**.
* 🔍 Honestly review your day through **self-awareness, self-examination, and self-determination** to identify areas for improvement.

If you want to build self-discipline, you’d
do well to listen to the words of Marcus Aurelius. He was the emperor of Rome from 161 to 180
A.D. and is considered as last of the Five Good Emperors. During his rule, Aurelius found
the time to construct a series of autobiographical writings, now known as the Meditations. In
these writings, the Roman Emperor offered a number of key insights on how to be build
self-discipline. Here are 10 of the most important of those insights for self-discipline from
the writings of Marcus Aurelius. 1. Self Discipline starts with finding your
purpose. Marcus Aurelius says “I have to go to work — as
a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the
things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle
under the blankets and stay warm?”

Marcus Aurelius believed that we each have a purpose; something that we were created for. It is our duty to carry out that purpose because it is purpose that gets you out of bed each morning. If you have a clear understanding of your goals and how your task fits within them, you are much more likely to complete it. For example, say you have a flat tire and need to change it. Your purpose is clear – change the tire as quickly as possible so you can get on your way. You are going to do that task, no matter how tired you feel. The biggest source of self-discipline is to have a reason to do the task. If you don’t know what to do, just start. If you want to be a writer, write every day. If you want to be an artist, draw and create every day. Anything you want to do, you don’t need any more motivation or research or advice. You just start practicing something you’re interested in and tackle every day as it comes.

because it is your purpose that will give
you an internal desire, drive, and motivation to propel you forward toward your goal. Self-discipline
is about finding compelling reasons to do something, then committing yourself to see
that task or activity through to the very end. Count on yourself.
According to Marcus Aurelius, you should “Turn your desire to stone. Quench your appetites.
Keep your mind centered on itself.” After you have a solid purpose, it’s time
now to build a practical plan of action to help you accomplish your goal. You shouldn't
just commit to your goals but commit to all the little actions you will take along
the way in the pursuit of those goals. We must be fully committed to doing whatever
it takes to get the job done, no matter what challenges get in the way. Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself
to take action—to do what you need to do—regardless of your physical, mental, or emotional state.
Everything you want in your life—everything.

you want to have, be, and do, depends on your
ability to get yourself to take the necessary actions to achieve your goals, whether you
feel like it or not. You can start with forming an effective plan
of action that is comprised of a deadline for accomplishing your goal. It must also
be built on the foundation of mini-milestones that break your goal down into manageable
chunks. Mini-milestones will ensure that you’re
working toward your desired outcome in small pieces and time blocks. This tactic puts you
in the driver’s seat. It gives you a sense of control over the tasks and projects you’re
working on. What you’re ultimately trying to avoid is
succumbing to being overwhelmed. Overwhelming can quickly digress to procrastination, and
procrastination can, subsequently, lead to stagnation. And, of course, where there is
stagnation, self-discipline cannot exist. Show up every day
Marcus Aurelius says “You must build up

your life action by action, and be content
if each one achieves its goal as far as possible–and no one can keep you from this”. Even after having a solid purpose and a practical
plan, 95% of us fail to achieve our goals. We fail because we fail to be consistent.
We need to show up, every day, and put in the work. The simple act of showing up and
immersing yourself in your craft does wonders for mental endurance. You build focus and
come to terms with the arduous process that it takes to achieve anything great. You have
to put in countless hours of work before you reap any of the benefits. Self-Discipline
is nothing more but the habit of consistency – finding the motivation to do something
again and again, until you do it on autopilot and start seeing results. So even if you fail
once, for example, if you didn’t exercise when you know you should have, this doesn’t
define your character. Your ability to keep

going is what molds you into a disciplined
and strong person. A bad day doesn’t have to become a bad week; a bad week doesn’t
have to become a bad year. The moment you wake up, remember that the new day is a new
life and move forward by opening your eyes and focusing on what’s in front of you,
which is life itself. 4. Practice Voluntary Hardship.
In the words of Marcus Aurelius, “We should discipline ourselves in small things, and
from there progress to things of greater value. If you have a headache, practice not cursing.
Don’t curse every time you have an earache. And I’m not saying that you can’t complain,
only don’t complain with your whole being.” Voluntary Hardship is one of the ways we can
build our self-discipline. Voluntary hardship means constantly testing ourselves and by
making life routinely uncomfortable in some way, we are hardening ourselves for the day
we may need to live it for real. A voluntary

hardship might be skipping a meal and going hungry for a night, having a cold shower, not smoking, sleeping on the floor, leaving your jacket at home when you know it’s cold and raining out, or donating half of your clothes to charity. You could choose to go without Social Media for a few days or throw your Smart Phone in the drawer. Do it often enough and you will begin to understand what scarcity and hardship feels like, and that you can live with both if needed. 

Practice Dichotomy of Control. Marcus Aurelius says, “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” Being distressed, being bothered by small things instantly is terrible for discipline. You have a goal, you’re working and then thoughts and distress about something external, meaning it’s out of your control, derails you. The best thing you can do in these circumstances is to apply Epictetus’ dichotomy of control.

Reinforce to yourself what is within your control and what is out of your control; if you embrace what’s out of your control and accept it, you will experience tranquillity. Refer to the following wording next time you’re distressed and distracted: Do you have a problem in your life? No? ► Then don’t worry. Yes? ► Can you do something about it?… Yes? ► Then don’t worry. No? ► Then don’t worry. 6. Never Play the victim In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Do your job, without whining.” Have you said any of these? “I was just born this way.” “I never learned anything different.” “My parents set a terrible example.” “Everyone else does it.” What are these? Excuses that people use to justify staying as they are instead of striving to become better. You need to assume responsibility. The “why me?” mentality is an enemy to mental toughness. You might not be at fault, but your life depends

on you determining what’s within your control
and taking those things into your own hands. You must train yourself to frame these things
this way instead of immediately resorting to self-pity. It’s certainly easier to pawn
off blame on others when something goes wrong. But only those with a degree of mental fortitude
are able to step up – even when it’s not their fault – and right the ship. Be that
person who steps in to take action, not the one who looks the other way and casts blame.
When you victimize yourself or your current position, you relinquish control and absolve
yourself of personal responsibility. And without a sense of ownership, meaningful progress
becomes an impossible task. 7. Practice Delayed Gratification
In the words of Marcus Aurelius, “So you were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doing
things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants, and spiders
and bees going about their individual tasks,

putting the world in order, as best they can?
And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to
do what your nature demands?” Delayed gratification involves the ability
to wait to get what you want. Imagine a company Christmas party when you encounter platters
of delicious and tempting foods when you are trying to lose weight. If you give in and
fill up your plate with fattening goodies, it might derail your diet, but you will get
to enjoy a bit of instant gratification. If you manage to resist and spend the evening
eating salad and munching on carrot sticks, then you will presumably receive an even greater
reward down the line — shedding those unwanted pounds and being able to fit into your favorite
pair of skinny jeans. This ability to resist temptation and stick
to our goals is often referred to as self-discipline, and delaying gratification is
often seen as a central part of this behavior.

We put off what we want now so that we can perhaps get something else, something better, later on. 8. Ignore Naysayers. Marcus Aurelius says, “When another blames you or hates you, or people voice similar criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside and see what sort of people they are. You will realize that there is no need to be racked with anxiety that they should hold any particular opinion about you.” Whenever you step out from the norm, and declare (even if only to yourself) that you believe that you have a special purpose in life, and that you are going to do whatever it takes to achieve it, you will attract naysayers. Naysayers are the people who criticize, object to, or oppose something. The Naysayers just love to say nay. They might love you, but they are afraid of progress so they are against everything and their opinions are just terrible for your self-discipline. You need to realize that allowing yourself to be upset by the

opinion of someone you don’t know or don’t respect is as foolish as getting upset about the weather. It’s a waste of energy. Their voice does not deserve to be heard. Don’t hand over your peace of mind to outsiders to disrupt as they please. You should actively seek honest feedback from those you respect. But if someone just has a history of being a naysayer, ignore them. 9. Find Wise People to emulate. Marcus Aurelius says, “It will even do to socialize with men of good character, in order to model your life on theirs, whether you choose someone living or someone from the past.” It’s time now to look outward for answers to help strengthen your self-discipline. Specifically, let’s identify role models. Your role models could be your friends, family, colleagues who have already achieved the goal you are working towards. Ask yourself: Who is doing this right now? Who has successfully achieved this goal?

Who has successfully mastered this habit? Who has successfully made this change? Who has the necessary self-discipline in this area? What can I learn from this person that can help me along my journey? Take time to ask these people how they disciplined themselves. Ask them how they followed through with specific actions that got them their desired outcome. Then use their experience to help you discipline yourself along your own personal journey. 10. Honestly review your day. In the words of Marcus Aurelius, “These are the characteristics of the rational soul: self-awareness, self-examination, and self-determination. It reaps its own harvest. . . . It succeeds in its own purpose.” One of the best ways to become more disciplined is to scrutinize yourself, and find your weak spots. Be brutally honest and use this time to connect with your subconscious. Practicing evening retrospections on a consistent basis will allow you to become more self-aware through every step of your day because you

will be actively gathering information to formulate and articulate constructive answers to these questions. Ask yourself, What did I do well today? Where were my discipline and self-control tested, where did I do good? What did I do bad, why did this occur? And Furthermore, how can I improve? Now you know how you can improve tomorrow. But don’t beat yourself up. Be like Seneca and forgive yourself. Have some self-compassion. Research shows that it’s forgiving yourself — not beating yourself up — that prevents you from continuing to put things off. And don’t just be critical of yourself. Think about what you did well so you can repeat it tomorrow. Be grateful for the good that happened today. If you like this video, do make sure to check out our Stoicism playlist and for more videos to help you find success and happiness, don’t forget to subscribe to us. Thanks for watching.

How To Build Self Discipline - Marcus Aurelius (Stoicism)

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Philosophies for Life

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor, emphasized the importance of finding purpose as the starting point for self-discipline.

He believed that having a clear understanding of one's goals and purpose is crucial for completing tasks.

Aurelius also stressed the need to turn desire into determination and to commit to a practical plan of action in order to accomplish goals, emphasizing the importance of taking consistent action.

Building Self-Discipline: A Key to Success

Having self-discipline is crucial for achieving goals, regardless of motivation.

Forming a practical plan with deadlines and mini-milestones is essential for progress.

Consistent action and showing up every day are vital for developing mental endurance and focus.

Practicing voluntary hardship is a way to build self-discipline by routinely pushing the limits of comfort.

Embracing Hardship and Building Mental Toughness

Experiencing scarcity and hardship can help in understanding and living with them when necessary.

Practicing the dichotomy of control, focusing on what's within one's control, and accepting the rest can lead to inner strength and tranquillity.

Avoiding the victim mentality, taking personal responsibility, and avoiding self-pity are crucial for building mental toughness.

Additionally, embracing delayed gratification and focusing on tasks and experiences rather than just seeking pleasure can contribute to personal growth and resilience.

Mastering Self-Discipline: The Key to Success

Delayed gratification is the ability to resist temptation for instant rewards in order to achieve greater benefits in the future.

Ignoring naysayers and not letting their opinions affect you is crucial for maintaining self-discipline and focus on your goals.

Finding and emulating wise people and role models who have achieved the goals you're working towards can greatly strengthen your self-discipline.

Mastering Self-Discipline: Learning from Others and Self-Reflection

Successful individuals with self-discipline can provide valuable insight into mastering this habit.

Self-examination and seeking advice from disciplined individuals can help in developing self-discipline.

Practicing self-compassion, self-awareness, and evening retrospection can also contribute to improving self-discipline and achieving personal growth.