Discipline Equals Freedom

I first came across this concept while diving into the world of Jocko Willink who has written a book titled ‘Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual’. I find it to be quite a powerful concept that is prevalent in almost all aspects of my life. The concept is seemingly counterintuitive at first as discipline seems like the very antithesis of what most people would consider freedom. But it is only through discipline and giving your weaker emotions the middle finger on a daily basis, that truly gratifying and meaningful forms of freedom is achieved. To live an independent lifestyle, to detach your overall happiness from the grips of capricious emotions, to find great enjoyment in hobbies, to be free from mediocrity. All these freedoms require some form of discipline in order to earn.

 

Costs of freedom now

 

The opposite is also true, the more freedom we grant ourselves in the moment the more we are stripping away some form of freedom from ourselves in the future. Spending money on trivial, unnecessary items now robs our future selves of financial freedom, eating carelessly now will force our future selves to pay later in the form of even more discipline to regain lost grounds.

By staying disciplined, we exchange immediate freedoms in the form of instant gratification and impulse, for a more meaningful version of a freedom in the future. It means giving up your “freedom” to satisfy your unhealthy cravings in the moment for the much more gratifying freedoms that a healthier body can grant you. Whether that is the freedom of mind in feeling a sense of pride rather than dissatisfaction in the moments you catch yourself in the mirror or in the form of enjoying an athletic feat that you couldn’t accomplish before.

 

 

Freedom from skill sets

 

Now, take learning to drive for example, everyone does it eventually. When we first start, the thought of controlling a 2-ton death machine at a neck-breaking speed that for millions of years humans have never been exposed to (short of jumping off a cliff), gives us every reason to say ‘I will start next week’. But it is only through discipline and forcing yourself to endure the first couple of sessions that we eventually unlock the freedom and ability to travel independently wherever we want, whenever we want.

The same is true for any knowledge or skill set you invest in now, however boring or difficult it is, it will serve you in different ways in the future.

 

 

Creative freedom – hobbies and sports

 

I find this concept to be prevalent in any creative outlet, sport or hobby. Take basketball for example. To me, the feeling of absolute control in manipulating the ball freely and creatively across the space of the court as well as putting together scoring moves that is a blend of skill, athleticism and experience to overcome the defence is where the enjoyment lies. The more of this creative payoff you want, the more hours of repetitive and mundane practice on the most bland aspects of the game are needed. The price of the ticket to a certain level of freedom and enjoyment in any creative or competitive endeavour is discipline. The more time you put into writing, the more vividly you can convey your thoughts, the better you get at playing an instrument, the more songs you can play.

 

 

Freedom in health

 

The more discipline you invest into taking care of your mental health regularly (meditation, journaling etc.), the more control you will have over your emotions and the less you will suffer needlessly from your own unregulated emotions. The more you watch what you eat, exercise daily, and maintain regular sleep routines, the more energy and vibrancy your body will reward you with and the less often you will lose parts of your life to feeling sick or tired.

 

 

The ultimate form of freedom

 

I love Tom Bilyeu’s definition of power: “the ability to close your eyes, imagine a world, open your eyes and make that world come true”, it ties in perfectly to the concept of investing discipline into skill sets that will ultimately grant you the power and freedom to manipulate aspects of your own world. It is about gaining control over your life rather than giving control away to life. The same reason why people like open-world games like is the same reason why we should welcome discipline. Because what is better than finding freedom in the world of video games is to earn the very same in real life.

 

 

This all seems very intuitive in the end and that is why it is useful to keep the concept in mind. Because in the moments of where our discipline is tested, the days where you’re sick of the grind, it is useful to remind yourself that with every hard decision, you are earning more freedom in your life.