If I had to choose one of the hardest tasks, it would be to train the mind…

So, what is this Discipline again? In the lookout for answers(as has been cited under the Blogspace of ‚Questions & Answers‘ as well), one of the perceivable paths in following a discipline lies in the ‚training of the mind‘, leaving us with the following Question as to how do we train our mind for building Discipline. Because if we are to tell the mind to carry out a task for us based on reason, it will rebel, even if this task were one of the most beloved tasks that we enjoy doing! For e.g. I love dancing. I love to dance to good music and sometimes prefer to wash away my stress and bad health with dancing. Meaning to say, I dont hesitate to dance even if I were sick. I would still enjoy it!

However, if I were to tell myself that I am supposed to do two routines, two days a week at 5 am in the morning, I would have a hard time doing it. Why? Because it’s part of a well contemplated plan, backed by reason. This sort of has had a way of causing stress for me because a certain action/task needed to be done, not just once but on a regular basis. And each time as part of a plan. This then entails what we call Discipline.

Discipline can be about the smallest of tasks — even like taking out the trash! And the mind can make it seem like a mountain of a task. This fact, makes the act of Discipline in itself, no matter the task we want to pursue, a boundary constraint for our development at the end of the day.

So, in order to train the mind, one possible way that I found useful (for maintaining my weight this has been helpful so far).. is to develop an impression in our mind of the certain negative effects that would surface or develop as a result of us not undertaking a certain action/task as part of a plan. A reminder of possible negative effects (either in terms of weight gain, or increased stress levels, or possible Joint stiffness in the body to cite a few examples) could give mileage to our efforts in following a regime and in some way, motivate us to keep at it despite the difficulties that we come across, until of course, a time comes, when we cant imagine ‚not doing it‚. It becomes like a habit without which our day is not complete. The task itself becomes an easy preference over other possibilities/choices in life, just like watching our favorite movie or eating our favorite pizza — only in this case, every time we undertake a certain task over and over again on a regular basis, we get better at it. Hence, the experience in itself is ever- enriching! It’s like eating the same pizza, but getting to relish it more and more while discovering a new enriched taste of it every single time we eat it. In other words, the pizza you have would never taste the same way again!

Thinking about a new experience every single time, is an easy motivator for those who look for novelty in every single experience every single day. But in order for this to be possible, there is another boundary that one needs to overcome – that of, ‚Patience‘. But thats a boundary to conquer for another day!