Happiness is not doing what you love but loving what you do.
Nothing really important is acquired without time and effort. On the other hand, you learn to love something through repetition.
Discipline As Skill Acquisition
We generally like to do what we are good at. But to acquire dexterity or expertise in a field, it takes time. Therein lies the paradox or the thing we most often ignore. We have learned to love most things and we forget this fact, therefore, we believe that all things must be loved or rejected by nature. This is a trap because loving can be learned.
What About Talent?
We have certain predispositions for certain activities. The human brain is made in such a way that it will or will not have certain affinities for certain fields and an incapacity for others. According to Howard Gardner, there are 9 types of intelligence (visual-spatial, logical-mathematical, musical, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalist, linguistic and existential). Thus, we are born with qualities that make us better than others at certain tasks and as a result, we are inclined to like them more. That being said, these predispositions do not eliminate the fact that we can always develop our skills throughout life and therefore love new things in the same way.
A Life Without Discipline
What happens when we remove discipline from our lives? Well, we give in to our inclinations and instincts. The body is not disciplined by nature, it will want to satisfy its desires without regard to morality or justice. When the body dominates, we lose our dignity and there is no lasting happiness without dignity.
The Fruits Of Discipline
Wellness is not the first fruit of discipline. First, we gain self-esteem. When our mind takes control of the body and makes it perform well, we secrete serotonin and gain confidence. When we gain confidence, we look at the world and the future with optimism and therefore we are happier.
Discipline Gives Intensity To Our Time
We must live in the moment. Discipline allows us to create an intensity in what we do and we can more easily enter into a psychic state called flow which makes us lose the awareness of time.
Happiness Is A State Of Consciousness
Happiness is built in the “being” and not in the “having”. Discipline allows us to transform our being. Through repetition, discipline allows us to imprint new deep images in our character, we end up becoming what we do. It is because the “doing” conditions the “being” that discipline is a key element of happiness.
To Be Happy, There Is No Reason
Happiness is an involuntary consequence of the efforts we make. Some things are only obtained by the work we put in, without even having asked for it. For example, if you play sports, you feel a certain amount of pain when you do the exercises. However, at the end of your workout, you feel a liberation because your body releases serotonin. This is a direct and initially involuntary consequence (amateur athletes are unaware of this fact at first). It is the same for the happiness you can get in life. We should not necessarily try to do what we like, but rather, do things with a good intention and most probably we will get satisfaction from it.
Discipline Is Learned
All good things can be learned, and discipline is no exception to this law. We are born undisciplined but curious, we just need to channel this curiosity towards something that will allow us to grow. Repeating the same activity every day cables our brain in a certain way. It is by choosing the right foundation activities that we move towards a fulfilling life or not. Our entire well-being depends on how our brain is wired.
