Actually this phrase came from a post by a friend that struck a chord with me. It’s true. We all need discipline but we also need diligence in order to place our new learning into our mindset. In my world of definitions, knowledge is just that until the lessons it provided merges into your mindset and becomes operational in your life. This seems to be especially true as related to the words – discipline and diligence. How do you define discipline and diligence?
Webster states that discipline is: control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed and punishing bad behavior; a way of behaving that shows a willingness to obey rules or orders; behavior that is judged by how well it follows a set of rules or orders. Stringent sounding, isn’t it? Doesn’t look like there is much room for variety or creativity outside the boundaries…? But is this a ‘correct’ definition, one that though it may be rigid, is accurate? Though related, Diligence is defined as: persevering application; attention and care… Is there really any relationship between these two words?
With the definition of ‘discipline’ there are a number of questions that quickly become apparent: who develops the rules or orders? Requiring? Punishing? Those are only the obvious ones but the point is, if you are going to accept the discipline then you need a high level of confidence in the one who develops the standards and procedures. There must be a trust and not just the threat of punishment from this who. Also there needs to be an understanding that merges from the knowledge of (fill in the blank) – we need to know the ‘whys’ so we have a basis of making a decision about how and if to apply this definition to our own behavior.
Diligence is considered as, persevering application. Personally, I like this. Persevering is a strong word implying a high degree of commitment. No one is going to persevere without knowledge, understanding, commitment, acceptance. To me this is indicating a mindset that has/is confident in (fill in the blank) in order to move to the next step of application. And if you are applying then you will be attentive and careful, not to the point of blindness, but you will attempt to follow through on what you are doing – what you committed to.
Question: can you have discipline without diligence? I’m not certain you can be diligent without discipline. But both of these words are defined by you. The discipline may be present but you have to agree to abide by it. And if you don’t you may experience the punishment. Is this a state for you? And is it based in fear, imposed from outside of you, or in confidence? The question could be – if you don’t abide by the discipline, what have you placed as your standard? Diligence is a personal attribute, something you choose to do and be.
