U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Jesse D. Leger. May 23, 2017
The commonly accepted definition of self-discipline is the ability to control one’s feelings and overcome one’s weaknesses. It is the ability to pursue goals despite temptations to abandon them. Self-discipline means following a proverbial compass. This compass includes moral, ethical, and legal azimuth checks and one must also follow this compass to an endstate. It is the foundation that drives an individual to succeed in the completion of tasks, the accomplishment of goals, and it is also the driving force behind happiness.
When considering self-discipline within the profession, there are a few different aspects to consider. Self-discipline can be a blanket term for all of the individual responsibilities that one must ensure they maintain or complete. Some examples of individual responsibilities that require self-discipline within the profession are physical fitness, medical readiness, and professional military education.
Physical fitness is the first element that comes to mind when thinking of self-discipline. Within the profession, a Soldier must prioritize the basic requirements and ensure they meet the Army standards of fitness without relying on a unit to schedule and execute organized physical fitness. Self-discipline is taking personal responsibility for one’s own fitness and putting effort into not only meeting requirements, but also working towards continuous improvement.
Within the Army Profession, medical requirements are a second individual area where self-discipline can make a vast difference in increasing the population of a ready and deployable force. It is not a difficult task to track and project when physical health assessments, dental exams, and vaccinations are required. Reliance on leaders for reminders, and delinquency lists is a trait of an undisciplined person. If self-discipline was to increase, the man-hours dedicated to tracking delinquencies, projecting due dates, and emailing reminders would drastically decrease. This allows increased time for other tasks.
A final example of self-discipline within the profession is understanding career timelines, milestones, and requirements to ensure your own career progression aligns with your vision of your career. Military education and key developmental positions are the two primary areas of focus. It is well known within the profession that there are key military education requirements necessary to be eligible for the next higher grade. Proactively planning and meeting the standard for the completion of these courses is paramount for career progression. Self-discipline is understanding the education requirements you need to fulfill and working to fit them into your career path. Key developmental positions are the second area of focus. Self-discipline means actively seeking out positions of greater responsibility and being able to succeed in any position of which you are placed. We should subscribe to the mantra, “grow where you are planted.” Always seek out the hard positions, but if placed in a position that is not your first choice, work diligently to improve that organization without complaint.
Self-discipline in the workplace is another critical aspect of the profession. Within the Army profession, being self-disciplined includes having the ability to place personal opinions and biases aside and tackle the task at hand with a clear understanding of the required endstate. It is the ability to recognize risk versus reward and clearly visualize the goal as it pertains to each intermediate task between the start and finish. Self-discipline also requires one to think through their decisions and understand the consequences and lasting impacts of those decisions. Self-discipline within the profession also requires being thorough and not cutting corners for a quick win. It is an investment of time and energy and requires you to avoid distractions and unnecessary barriers. Self-discipline means prioritizing competing efforts to bring the most benefit to the force. It is taking responsibility not only for the good, but for the bad too. Not placing blame but identifying the flaws and working towards corrective measures. It is not accepting setbacks or mistakes but learning from them and changing future outcomes.
Self-discipline also includes taking your personal life into consideration. Balancing personal and professional commitments is a constantly scrutinized topic. How does one ensure balance? Is balance achievable? Well having self-discipline certainly contributes to a work-life balance. It takes self-discipline to determine when to step away from the blackberry or email and enjoy a family dinner. It takes self-discipline to ensure one takes their earned leave each year and not fall into a “use or lose” situation. It takes self-discipline to not remain in the office until 2200 each night trying to ensure the inbox is empty in the morning. Self-discipline within the profession means taking a hard look at what is important to the organization and executing those tasks flawlessly. There is no clear-cut solution and the approach may be different for everyone. However, the fact remains that self-discipline is the cornerstone to ensuring success professionally and personally.
Major Janessa Moyer is a Medical Logistics Officer and currently serves as the Director for Medical Device Modernization, United States Army Medical Materiel Agency, at Fort Detrick, Maryland. She recently completed the Army Medical Department Program Management and Acquisition Internship after serving 22 months in Company Command. She is a graduate of East Carolina University and holds a Bachelors degree in Communications, and a Masters degree in Emergency Disaster Management.