Why discipline works for no good (and what you really need to do)

Today we are going to talk about a word that most people have developed a slight allergy to: discipline. We hear it everywhere. "You need more discipline." "Without discipline, you won't get anywhere." Let me help you right out of the dream: discipline doesn't work. And I'm going to tell you exactly why.

Have you? You wake up, you're feeling great, you're looking forward to the day, but something is gnawing. You're missing that "input. That spark to really get going. You look in the mirror and think, "Today I'm going to do things differently. Today I'm going to show that discipline everyone is talking about." And then? Then exactly nothing happens. Or well, you stick with it for half a day and then you sink back into your old patterns.

The reason why discipline doesn't work is actually quite simple. There are two main causes, and the first is an immediate slap in the face: Discipline doesn't exist at all.

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The self-help industry's biggest lie

Yes, you read correctly. News flash: discipline is a fabrication. It does not exist. And of course, if something doesn't exist, then you can't use it to change your life. It's as simple as that.

Now you may be thinking, "But what about Edwin, my neighbor? That guy gets up at five every morning, runs a half marathon and only eats raw broccoli. Surely he has discipline?"

No. Wrong. Then where? Point it out to me. Where is this discipline located? Is it an organ? Can you buy it somewhere? Is it in a jar?

Look, I'm holding a pen here. This is a thing. A noun. If I want to let go of this pen, I just open my fingers and (klabam) the pen is gone. It's on the table. I can take it, I can put it away, I can write with it. It is a tangible object.

But "discipline? That's also a noun in our language, but it's not a thing. We believe in it en masse, as if it were some kind of magical power you must have in your toolbox. "Oh, I must have discipline!" First of all, you don't have to have anything at all. But the whole idea that you can "have" discipline is at the heart of the problem.

You don't have discipline. You do something.

The neighborhood 'pencil peddler'

Discipline is just a label that other people put on your behavior. If you do something every day, others say, "Gosh, how disciplined he is." But you have nothing. You are simply engaged in an action. That action arises because you have a goal. As a result, habits arise[1].

And here comes the joke: You already have this so-called discipline. Only you probably don't see it that way yourself.

Let's face it. You probably watch YouTube. Or you're on TikTok. Or you listen to podcasts (hopefully mine). Do you do that often? Do you do that daily? Well, congratulations: then you have the discipline to consume content.

You brush your teeth (hopefully) every day. You get dressed when you go out. Why do you do that? Because otherwise you'll be picked on or known as the local pothead. That daily dressing, that brushing of teeth.... that's basically what people call "discipline. You just call it "normal.

Everyone has some level of discipline. Everyone does things every day. The definition of discipline is simply: doing something, every day. So stop saying you don't have it. Look at what you do all day and realize, "I do have it, I just apply it to the wrong things."

The magic 66 (or my personal 90)

Okay, so you now know that discipline is a verb and not a possession. But then how do you make sure you start using that "discipline" (i.e., the doing) for the things you do want to achieve? Like exercising, reading, or learning a new skill?

This is where the science comes in. On average, it takes 66 days for a new action to become an automatism[2]. A habit. And a habit isn't a thing either, it's just something you do daily without thinking about it. Just like brushing your teeth.

You have to train your brain. It takes effort at first, but over time your subconscious takes over. Personally, I always keep a rule of thumb of three months. Why 90 days? Because I know myself. I like to be slightly above average. If I do something every day for three months, it's baked into my system. Then I don't have to think about it anymore. Then it just "is" there.

People often say to me, "Edwin, what discipline you have. You record videos, you write books, you exercise, you read an awful lot..."

You know what I think then? I actually find myself heartily lazy. I really do. I am the king of laziness. But I invested the time and energy once in my life to "train in" certain habits. I got through that 90-day period, and now those things happen naturally. It doesn't take strength from me anymore. It's not discipline; it's my new normal.

The Brain Hack: Hypnosis

Now I hear you thinking, "Three months of waiver? Edwin, there must be an easier way, right?"

And of course I have an answer to that. I have a little secret, a "brain hack" that has changed my life (and the lives of thousands of my students). Namely, I can hypnosis.

Look, if I had to do something on my own (purely on willpower, which people often confuse with discipline) then yes, I have to complete those 90 days. That's the long way. The road of most resistance.

But with hypnosis, you can accelerate that process[3]. You can hypnotize yourself to accept a new habit faster into your subconscious mind. You program your brain, so to speak, to like that new action, or to remove resistance to it.

Thanks to hypnosis, I have taught myself to whistling videos, creating mountains of content and learning every day. Without feeling like I have to force myself. That's the power of working with your brain instead of fighting it.

If you are still trying to change your life without using the power of your subconscious.... well, then you are actually a bit of a thief of your own time. It's up to you, of course, but it's not smart. You can take the stairs to the tenth floor (willpower), or you can take the express elevator (hypnosis). The choice is yours.

The Peace of "Doing.

The beauty is: once you understand that discipline is an illusion and that it's all about what you do, it gives you tremendous peace of mind.

You no longer have to search for that one magical ingredient you're "missing. You already have everything you need. You are already a master of discipline, you just need to change course. Look at what you do now on a daily basis. Are you disciplined at procrastinating? Are you a pro at scrolling on social media? Acknowledge it, laugh about it, and then decide, "What am I going to do differently from today for 66 to 90 days?"

And believe me, one day these new actions will become so common that people will say to you, "Wow, what discipline you have!" And then you can smile and think, "I don't have it, I just do it."

The peace of mind of "just doing it.

Ladies and gentlemen, I hope this has planted a small seed in your brain. Discipline is a lie, action is the truth. You already have it, you already do it, and you can start using it consciously from now on for what you really care about.

Did you find this a valuable lesson? If so, please let me know! Leave a comment. Why? Because we need to spread this information. There are too many people walking around dragging themselves down because they think they have "no discipline. Let's help them see that they can, as long as they stop looking for a thing that doesn't exist.

Treat yourself to that peace of mind. Treat yourself to that new habit. And who knows. maybe it's time to give that hypnosis hack a try, too.

Make hypnosis your new "discipline"

Want to help yourself and others with their habits? Hypnosis helps tremendously. Come to a free master class for an introduction.

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