Lessons for Living summary

Have you ever struggled with summoning or maintaining discipline? We won’t ask for a hand raise – very few of us haven’t. Whether it’s a late-night raid of the cookie jar or consecutive weekends spent working rather than resting, we all have our poison. But, as you’ve likely realized by now, the rich and fulfilling life you seek will continue to elude you so long as you’re hooked.

We can think of discipline as a proper relationship to the higher power of time. In the ancient world, rituals were an inherent part of life, tied just as readily to the passing of the day as to the passing of the seasons. Our shift away from these interwoven routines and practices is one reason Stutz believes we see such a general lack of discipline today. 

Another reason is the modern rise of technology in our world. It’s paradoxical, but the more machines and devices we own, the less freedom of time we have. Just think of the time sacrificed getting your car serviced, or responding to emails, texts and DMs. It’s no wonder discipline has become an increasingly rare commodity.

When we acknowledge and submit to the higher power of time, we rightfully return it to a force worthy of our respect. We come to see that re-ritualizing our activities and carving out a regular space for them imbues them with meaning, and it’s this sense of meaning that gives us the energy to show up to our commitments day after day, and month after month. This is the secret to discipline, and it will transform your life.

At this point, you may be thinking, “Well, that’s good to know, but how can I benefit from this in a practical way?”

An unexpectedly powerful way to better wield the flow of time and unlock the energy to consistently execute is to complete a nightly review at the end of each day. In this review, specify when you will eat, exercise, sleep, work, and pray the following day. Ideally, your days would follow the same 24-hour rhythm, but of course, life happens, and you’ll occasionally need to adapt. Symbolically, this exercise encourages you to create and curate each day you live, bestowing each one with a meaning unique to you. 

In a way, the secret of discipline is no secret at all. The universe operates in effortless rhythm, so it makes sense that we – a slice of this same universe – would too. But the clamor and clutter of today’s world have knocked us out of this invisible flow, and, as a result, discipline now seems like something exclusive to the superhumans among us. Really, it’s an innate quality we all possess.