Self Discipline

Self discipline: A mantra to success                                

Budding professionals beginning their career in the field of surgery need to train themselves in many skills but among all skills, the most important and rewarding is the skill of self discipline.  To be a consultant in a bridging branch between dentistry and medicine is not less than a super hero. Having an entire knowledge of dentistry and also of medicine is not possible unless one practices self discipline.

Self discipline can be inculcated by finding ways to motivate oneself, moving out of comfort zone and looking for ways to help others. The best way to start self discipline by taking small steps every day, every hour and every minute, like drops of water make a mighty ocean.

One can train oneself in the art of self discipline by practising interval training i.e, by setting your intention to practice self discipline, set a task to focus on, set a time of short intervals, do nothing but sit and watch your urges or push into your discomfort by doing the task.

Other way of self discipline is to focus on meditation and also by pursuing your hobbies so as not only to get inner peace but inspiring others in achieving their own peace and sanity. These benefits to others are much more motivating than doing just for you.

Self discipline further helps in to handle victories and failures as lot of students get discouraged as they mess things up and this causes them to give up and they do not want to think or develop self discipline. Failure is a victory at least you tried. Success is also a victory. No matter what your result, you can see an opportunity to learn, to grow and to get better.

In surgery, you might not be always successful but determination to learn and grow can only be accomplished by practising self discipline. One should drop any ideas of being perfect at this juncture as learning is a continuous process and learning curve improves with practise so, just keep trying. The next time you fail at whatever you are trying, instead letting it get you discouraged, see it as a victory. Then keep going, no matter what, because giving up only hurts you some more.

One should look for support if one wishes to be self disciplined by reaching out for support, by opening up with friends, teachers, colleagues and even to strangers, who can help you. Most of the people hesitate in doing so because they don’t practice discipline and don’t want to show darker sides, but if you show your darker side, it helps you in getting more trust and love for others.

So one should feel courage to ask for help and get supported so, that they become a disciplined human being and of course a surgeon, as self discipline helps regulating emotions and behaviour at the time of high impulses. So at the end, I would like to conclude that self discipline is a skill which gets better by practising more and more as is surgery which gets better if you practice in a more disciplined way.