Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series)

by Ryan Holiday

We say that we’re after autonomy, and yet we willingly hand ourselves over to habits that tell us . . . more of me is all you need.

But just because you started, doesn’t mean you have to continue. The fact that you didn’t know then doesn’t change the fact that you’re choosing it now.

The insecure constantly pressure us to be like them.

It feels like you’re free because you’re choosing, but if the answer is always yes, that’s not much of a choice.

“Doing the work” must actually mean thinking about things holistically. It must mean getting to the root causes. It should mean solving for the injury, not the symptoms. It means therapy—in Kennedy’s case, not just the physical therapy, but the desperate need for psychological help too. This will take real courage as well as self-discipline. Because it takes longer. Because it means facing scary things, because it means inching our way to progress, not instant transformation. This will not be easy. But the side effects are at least minimal. It may also mean, no matter how unfair or unpleasant it is, finding a way to live with pain.

The person who wakes up whenever, wakes up and does whatever, orders their day however? This is a person who will never have enough time, who will always be behind.