I just read something about the importance of mastering oneself and it hit pretty hard.
I’m not completely lacking in self-discipline but I could stand to improve it. Right now my ambition is greater than my self-control and that clearly isn’t gonna cut it if I want to get where I’m trying to go.
My phone, and in particular, social media is eating my attention alive. It’s roasting my schedule, my mental health and my overall ability to focus and be as productive as I otherwise could be.
I’m thinking it’s not a coincidence that so many influential thinkers, philosophers, gurus, leaders, and religious texts made an emphasis on self-control.
Here are some examples (courtesy of chatGPT)
Plato: “The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
Epictetus: “No man is free who is not master of himself.”
Lao Tzu: “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.”
Marcus Aurelius: “You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Buddha: “To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering others.”
Confucius: “He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.”
Tony Robbins: “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”
Jocko Willink: "Discipline equals freedom."
Proverbs 25:28: “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.”
Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Bhagavad Gita (6.6): “For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy.”
At this point I’m convinced it would be beneficial to work on it.
About 2 months ago I did a media cleanse where I cut social media, podcasts, books and basically any type of media out of my life for a month. Let me tell you.. It was the most clear-headed and focused I might’ve ever been. The idea was to limit anything that could distract me or take away from me focusing on my goals. I want to get back there and I know to do that it’s gonna take some discipline.
However, I don’t want to fully disengage from social media in fear of losing my momentum and the community I’m building there. So, I’m going to do the next best thing which is 3 hours of social media per week on Sundays. I’m going to download the apps, log in and post, scroll, reply to DMs and do my thing for 3 hours until I delete all the apps again for the next week. I’ve done this in the past and I know it’s possible for me to do consistently.
I’ve been posting on social media daily for over 2 months now and it’s not going bad but it’s not going amazing either. During this new phase I’m going to be posting less content but better content and more thoughtful content. I think I will also do that in tandem with this blog to a certain degree so that I can distill the ideas and concepts from these posts into short videos or possible long-form YouTube videos if I feel so inclined.
In addition to this I want to make sure there are some things that I do daily.
Create
Exercise + Stretch
Read
Write
Meditate
Because these are the most important things to me I’m going to start my day by completing them and then transitioning into whatever other tasks or work I have to complete.
If I had to guess, there will be some specifics that I have to change and adjust as I go and test things out but overall I just want to find a way to do whatever will allow me to:
A. Make the most of my time (focus)
B. Enjoy that time as much as possible (be present + positive)
Not to brag but I think that my brain has an abnormal amount of RAM. Unfortunately, right now so much of it is being used to process things that may be interesting but have little to no value or just aren’t helping me go in the direction I want.
I think it’s worth noting that I will be allowing some YouTube videos and media in if it’s either a tutorial or I’m educating myself on something that is directly related to a SPECIFIC project I’m working on. I’ll also continue reading daily and adding in a new practice of making a simple note or two that sums up what I just read. I’ve found this super valuable to increase retention. It also helps me focus when I read because I know I’m going to have to restate the concept in a simple way in my notes.
One other thing I’ve been doing to help with this whole self discipline project is turning the shower on full cold for at least a minute before I get out every time I take a shower. This helps me get in the habit of forcing myself to do things that are uncomfortable (which is the point of discipline in the first place).
Conceptually I think that things will flow the following way:
Education + Purpose that result in Systems and Routines that develop Discipline that is leveraged to Focus on the things I care about resulting in an Enjoyable Journey to the desired destination (finding success in music and art + inspiring the world).
I’ll report back on this though.
Finally, I’ll be starting this month and this media cleanse off with a 3-day water fast. 3 days. No food. Just water, salt, and coffee. Talk about discipline.. I’ve actually done this before so I’m confident it will be ok. I want to eventually work up to a 7-day fast but that’s for another post.
I’m really aiming for this to be a lifestyle change. I know deep down that the constant input an distraction of endless feeds of content, YouTube videos, and podcasts, is not healthy for me or really anyone for that matter so this begins my path to disengaging without fully disconnecting from everyone/thing.
If you’re reading this, I’d like to invite YOU to try something similar or whatever works or makes sense for you. Even if it’s just for a week. You may be surprised how good you feel when you take a break from social media..
As always, I’m happy to receive feedback, advice or to just have a conversation about any of the topics on this blog! Don’t hesitate to comment or reach out via social media
(@danny_suede on all platforms)
I’m glad you’re here and thanks for reading <3
I wish you the best in this journey. I love taking breaks from social media (I have been taking at least 1 month per year for the last 6-7 years and totally changed my relationship with social media and I've learned a lot).
I hope you can focus on the things that are important to you and that guide you towards your goals. 🦋 You’re an inspiring person, and I hope other people that follow you, start doing this kind of stuff, I think it’s so important but the majority are afraid of doing it.
Thanks for writing about this topics. 💙