Self-discipline entails choosing to go about your life in a way that is inconvenient for you: avoiding easy pleasures and putting off gratification in the short term so that you can enjoy more significant benefits in the long run. It is unquestionably simpler to avoid all forms of discomfort and give in to one’s whims whenever one pleases. Still, in the end, all that you will gain from taking this approach is a momentary pleasure at the expense of a future that otherwise could have been significantly more favourable.
Imagine someone with a low level of self-control who, when confronted with a challenge, runs away as fast as they can. If the pursuit of comfort is this person’s primary value, how likely is it that they will accomplish anything significant in their life? What kind of response does this individual plan to have to an emergency that they have to face? A person who has led a sheltered life and has always avoided what is difficult or disagreeable may find that even a problem of relatively minor importance has the potential to become an obstacle that that person cannot overcome.
Now compare this to someone who consciously chooses to make their life more difficult for themselves. They actively seek out and embrace challenges because they see them as opportunities for personal development. They become more resilient with each self-inflicted trial, and as a result, they can more easily overcome the challenges that life throws at them. They actively seek out challenges, and as a result, they build up their resistance to difficulties with each passing day. They are always prepared for difficulties because they live their lives the hard way, so when life throws them an unforeseen blow, they are ready to handle it. Thanks to living their own lives the hard way, they are always prepared for hardships.
It is easier to live the hard way,
Though it may not be the path of least resistance.
For strength and wisdom can be found each day
In the challenge of life’s hardest lessons.
Though the journey may be long and steep,
The rewards of a hard life are sweet.
For perseverance and faith will help you keep
Your head held high in victory and defeat.
The courage to try, the strength to climb
Will bring success in the end of time.
For the hard way provides a sense of pride
For a life well-lived and loved by all inside.
