Day 133: On Self-Carin g

Self-discipline is self-caring. If we feel ourselves valuable, then we will feel our time to be valuable, to organize it and protect it and make maximum use of it.

—M. Scott Peck 127

The way you look at what self-discipline is can affect how self-disciplined you are. If you think of self-discipline as punishing yourself in return for some possible benefits in the future, how likely are you going to be eager to maintain it in your life?

Instead, what if you embraced self-discipline as self-caring, a way of manifesting that your time is valuable to you and that you want to make the most of it?

Now, instead of seeing every temptation as something pleasant that you must avoid for the possible future benefit, you’d look at it as a threat to your well-being. For example, upon adopting this outlook on life, you’d understand on a deeper level that watching TV for hours on end is not entertainment; it’s killing your valuable time, and in the case of low-quality TV, killing your brain cells.

And the other way around: things that you currently consider torturous (such as waking up early, eating vegetables, saving money, expanding your comfort zone, and so on) would all become manifestations of self-care. You’d understand on a deeper level that waking up early makes you more productive, and consequently, creates more time and energy for you — even if it isn’t always fun.