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Easy Discipline

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Easy Discipline

An Unconventional Way to Achieve Ambitious Things

Simon Element,

15 min read
8 take-aways
Text available

What's inside?

Go farther, faster — without the grimace.

Editorial Rating

9

getAbstract Rating

  • Innovative
  • Engaging
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

What if the secret to discipline isn’t toughness, but enjoyment? Entrepreneur Jia Jiang argues that the most sustainable form of discipline relies not on willpower but on a genuine love for what you do. Teeming with illustrative examples from the realms of art, professional sports, science, business, and philosophy, as well as his personal experience, Jiang’s delightful treatise offers a practical framework for pursuing your goals — one that replaces dogged persistence with something far more powerful: work that feels like play.

Summary

Enjoyment, not willpower, fuels sustainable discipline.

In Greek mythology, Zeus condemned Sisyphus to push a boulder up a mountain for eternity. Each time Sisyphus neared the summit, the rock rolled back down, and he started over. The standard interpretation of this legend is bleak: Zeus controlled Sisyphus completely, leaving him no agency. But suppose Zeus’s curse governed the rock, not Sisyphus. What if Sisyphus chose to roll the rock because he loved the process? Seen in this light, his goal was never to reach the summit but to climb, and Sisyphus tricked Zeus into sentencing him to an eternity doing what he loved.

Discipline — the ability to act consistently toward a goal over time — is essential for achievement. But not all forms of discipline work the same way. “Hard Discipline” relies on willpower and a tolerance for pain. It can inspire success, but approaches like boot camps and other pain-based motivational methods are rarely sustainable: They work against the innate human desire for pleasure, and, over time, inaction becomes preferable to action. “Easy Discipline,” on the other hand, nurtures joy rather than deploying fear. It taps into the human desire...

About the Author

Jia Jiang is the author of Rejection Proof, an account of his 100 Days of Rejection experiment, which became the subject of his 2015 TED Talk. Jiang’s Rejection Therapy platform offers inspiration, courses, and products to help people develop mental fortitude.

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