Dominic Mann - Self-Discipline: How to Develop Spartan Discipline, Unbreakable Mental Toughness, and Relentless Willpower (Spartan Self-Control, Self-Confidence, and Self-Awareness)

Self-Discipline: How to Develop Spartan Discipline, Unbreakable Mental Toughness, and Relentless Willpower

By Dominic Mann

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Table of Contents

Self-Discipline: How to Develop Spartan Discipline, Unbreakable Mental Toughness, and Relentless Willpower

Table of Contents

Introduction

Spartan Minimalism

Toughen Up

Mind over Matter

Stoic Self-Discipline

Conquer Yourself

The Two Types of Wants

Go All the Way

Inverse Self-Discipline

Delayed Gratification

The Discipline Infection

No Excuses

Whenever, Wherever, However

Quitting Isn't an Option

Go Hard or Go Home

Fight Like Your Life Depends on It

Strength Through Humor

Spartan Habits

The Hedonic Treadmill

Conclusion

Introduction

No man is free, who cannot command himself.

Pythagoras

Through discipline comes freedom.

Aristotle

In ancient Greece, it was widely accepted that a single Spartan warrior was worth at least three or four non-Spartan soldiers. In fact, the discipline of the Spartans was so legendary that they evoked the admiration of even their enemies.

The famous Greek philosopher Diogenes, when returning from a trip to Sparta, was asked where he was going. Diogenes responded, From the mens quarters to the womens.

Similarly, the great Stoic teacher Musonius Rufus noted that the austere Spartan lifestyle, made their very poverty more enviable than the king of Persias wealth.

Likewise, the prominent Greek biographer Plutarch wrote, All Greeks know what is right, but only the Spartans do it.

Today, the need for self-discipline is as important as ever, if not more so. You see, although counterintuitive, discipline is liberating. Self-discipline empowers us to pursue that which we truly desire: The achievement of our goals and the attainment of an exciting and invigorating life.

A lack of self-discipline, on the other hand, leaves us succumbing to counterproductive and unhealthy urges that toss our lives in a direction we dont truly want. As Jim Rohn said, We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.

Contrary to Rohns classification of discipline as a pain, I would argue that discipline is a delightonce you get the ball rolling and build momentum, that is. As you develop discipline and progress ever more rapidly toward your goals, you will sense a growing tinge of euphoria flood your every moment. You will begin to feel like a Spartan warrior as you go about dominating your life and conquering your biggest goals.

But the hardest thing is getting started and building that momentum. Unlike the Spartan warriors, we have not been raised in a society that makes a deliberate effort to develop our self-discipline. If we want to be self-disciplined, we have to develop and cultivate it within ourselves. Nobody else is going to do that for us.

And so that is what this book is for: Giving you the Spartan upbringing you never had.

So dive right in and kickstart your development of Spartan self-discipline.

Spartan Minimalism

The purposeful destruction of information is the essence of intelligent work.

Ray Kurzweil

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.

Henry David Thoreau

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci

Self-discipline is not hard. It is only perceived to be hard. Its all an illusiona matter of perspective.

Having a cold shower requires no discipline for he who has no hot water system. Eating healthy requires no discipline for he who has no junk food in the kitchen. Being frugal requires no discipline for he who has no money. Obeying the speed limit requires no discipline for he who drives a Prius.

One of the foundations upon which the discipline of the Spartans rest is their philosophy of simplicity over decoration and precision over expansiveness. The Spartans achieved discipline not through the exertion of willpower but through the development of laser-like focus.

As Bruce Lee said, The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.

Victor Hugo wrote The Hunchback of Notre Dame butt-naked. Hugo would have his servant hide his clothes for a specified period of time in order to force himself to stop distracting himself and instead focus on his work.

Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick while chained to his desk. Melville would have his wife chain him to his desk in order to force himself to buckle down and focus on his work.

Carl Jung revolutionized the field of psychology by spending days of solitude in a small stone tower in the woods. No electricity. No running water. Not even any carpet or floorboards. One might even say it was rather spartan. During his periods at the stone tower, Jung had no choice but to focus on his work.

Similarly, the Spartans streamlined and simplified their society to focus exclusively on their main goal: To produce the greatest warriors to ever walk the earth.

Imagine how much you could achieve if you approached your life with this kind of Spartan minimalism. If you eliminated all but that which propels you toward your goals. One things for sure: Youd be a heck of a lot closer to your goal(s) than you currently areif not already successful.

I have begun applying Spartan minimalism to my own life and have found that, as a result, my focus and productivity has soared.

I wear the same simple clothes every day (dark shirt, jeans, and boots). I eat similarly simple foods (just meat, vegetables, and eggs). I have also completely eliminated unproductive habits from my life (such as YouTube, TV shows, and the mindless browsing of the internet, news, and social media).

A visitor, visiting Sparta for the very first time, once expressed great surprise at the incredibly plain clothing of King Agesilaus II and other Spartans. Agesilaus remarked, From this mode of life we reap a harvest of liberty.

Simplicity breeds success. Keeping things minimal in nonessential areas of life makes room for massive achievement in the areas of life that you have decided are most important.

Many of the worlds most successful people have stumbled upon the value of focus through eliminationof simplicity and Spartan minimalism.

Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Christopher Nolan all wear the same clothes every day. Just as the Spartans discovered over 2,000 years ago, these ultra-successful trailblazers have found that by simplifying their lives as much as possible, they make more room for the attainment of excellence.

When questioned, Zuckerberg explained that wearing the same clothes every day frees himor as Agesilaus would have said, reap[s] a harvest of libertyto focus exclusively on how to best serve this community [Facebook].

Likewise, Christopher Nolan explained that his spartan approach to lifesuch as wearing the same thing every dayenables him to direct increased focus and creativity toward his craft: Creating mind-blowing films such as Interstellar , The Dark Knight Trilogy , and Inception .

Although the Spartans didnt direct Inception , create Facebook, or invent the iPhone like the pioneers of today (who have nonetheless adopted remarkably spartan approaches to their lives), the Spartans used this disciplined and minimalist approach to life to allow them to focus exclusively on becoming the best warriors in the world.