Joe Rogan and Jocko Willink break down discipline as showing up to do the work regardless of how you feel. Rogan cites Steven Pressfield's concept of resistance as the internal enemy, while Willink frames discipline as a comprehensive practice covering physical training, nutrition, emotional control, and confronting fears. Both see it as the path to freedom and lasting success.
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The one thing that discipline definitely does help you with is it helps you get things done. And when you get things done, when you actually do things, you have more success. And sometimes a big part of success is just not being lazy and just doing it. Yeah, just get— that's like 90% of it is just showing up, get there and start working. Like, you're not going to feel perfect every day. If I only worked out when I felt good, I'd be a fat fuck. 'Cause there's a lot of days I don't wanna do it. It's pretty much the same with everybody that actually gets good at something. There's gotta be those days you push through. And they're probably gonna be more numerous than the days you don't. And so the benefit of discipline in my eyes has always been that through discipline I get things done. 'Cause a lot of artists and comics, I bet musicians as well, but writers for sure, One of the big problems is sitting down and doing the work. And you gotta, and Pressfield talks about that in the most concise and beautiful way. And he labels it like an enemy, he calls it resistance. You know, and that you have to sit down, you have to overcome resistance, and that the pro goes to work. And it doesn't matter if you're sick, doesn't matter if you have kids, it doesn't matter what, you're a pro and you go to work. Just, it puts it in your head that this is what I do. This is what, and you have pride in that. And then when you are in front of that keyboard, You look down the count, it says, I got 1,000 words today. I put 1,000 words in. You know, you're doing the work. And out of that work, gems blossom, little things. But you might have a day where you just write nothing but dog shit. So what? Show up again tomorrow. And tomorrow, out of that dog shit, a flower will emerge. You never know. And that's the only way to really develop your potential 100% in anything.
I always say that discipline is the root of all good qualities, but you have to absolutely apply it. To things outside of just waking up early. It's, it's everything. It's working out every day, making yourself stronger and faster and more flexible and healthier. Discipline is eating the right foods to fuel your system. It's about disciplining your emotions so you can make good decisions. It's about having the discipline to control your ego So your ego doesn't get out of hand and control you. It's about treating people the way you would want to be treated and doing the tasks that you don't necessarily want to do, but that you know will help you or help your team. It's about facing your fears. It takes discipline to face your fears so you can conquer them. And that's what discipline is. Discipline means taking the hard road, the uphill road, to do what's right for yourself and for other people. It's so often the easy path, the easy path that calls to us to be weak for that moment, to break down for that moment, to give in to the desire and the short-term gratification. But the discipline will not allow that. The discipline calls for strength and fortitude and will. It won't accept weakness. It won't tolerate another breakdown. The discipline can seem like it's your worst enemy, but the reality is discipline is your best friend. It will take care of you like nothing else can. And it'll put you on that path. The path to strength and health and intelligence and happiness. And most importantly, it'll put you on that path to freedom.
