If you're not already a disciplined person, disciplining the mind isn't such an easy thing to do... says the free spirit.

In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius writes:
"[To get] the most out of ourselves...you need a healthy mind... not just because we move daily closer to death, but also because our understanding - our grasp of the world - may be gone before we get there."

How do we develop a healthy mind?

Don't accept trash.

Or as data analysts love saying, "garbage in, garbage out."

Think of the news...
If you leave on the 24/7 news cycle and all of the doom and gloom associated with it, you will start to see the world from that point of view. That point of view may change the way you show up for yourself and others.

Think of work...
If you engage with people who are always dark and looking at the wrong of what's going on, you will start to see the world that way. If you're a leader, that's dangerous as it will impact your ability to lead your team.

Be Critical

Instead of accepting what's given to us, we must criticize. In Milwaukee, a city near Chicago in the USA where I live, violent crimes have been on the rise. I could watch the news every day and see that headline. I don't want to do that - I don't want the news to change the way I see my city, its neighborhoods, or the people around me. Instead, I'm asking a question:

"What all I can learn about why people commit homicide? What all can I learn about why seemingly good people commit crime in cities? And, how might I learn more?"

Be a Sponge

Learn all you can. If I decided to pursue this thinking I would want to learn as many perspectives as possible in order to come to my own conclusion.

So how to discipline?

When I think of the word discipline I think of it in the negative - doing something daily to build a habit. I think I found a way to see it in a way that speaks to me best...

To be ever curious about my word and engage in fierce inquiry about that which people would have me accept so that I can develop my own opinion and serve people best.

Don't accept my word for it though, do your own digging!