the one thing to become a slave to

We all keep falling into the claws of slavery in our day to day life. We become slaves to our work, obligations, sex, anxiety, anger, and addictions among many other things, sometimes unbeknownst to us.

There’s no virtue in living a life of imprisonment and being tied up in chains in this life that we all have been gifted and blessed with. But if there’s one thing that we all should be a slave to, it is Discipline.

It’s one of the most rewarding things we can do for ourselves. To put a spin on one of the quotes of Epicurus, “If you would enjoy real freedom, you must be the slave of discipline.”

Discipline is not easy and it comes with good levels of pain, suffering and sacrifice, but they are nothing as compared to the magnanimity of the rewards and gifts that come with them. We are to able to avoid the bigger pain — the pain of regret and of living a life of unused potential.

When we choose the slavery of discipline over slavery of our vices and distractions, and start living a simple and aligned life, the momentum that comes with it also churns the engines of freedom, both personal and professional. There is a great truth in the popular mantra coined by Jocko Willink: “Discipline equals freedom.”

There are many things that we can be a slave to: Social Media. Video streaming platforms. Medications. Material Possessions. New electronic gadgets. Alcohol. Money. But they only lead us to misery and despair, never to freedom.

However, when we become a slave to discipline and surrender to it, even it goes against the freedom seeking and loving rebel within us, we actually set ourselves and our lives for true freedom, and inch closer to living the extraordinary life that we are meant to live.