William James on Exercises in Discipline

In The Principles of Psychology, William James gives us a brilliant explanation of what I have referred to in my recent book Discipline as "exercises in discipline." He writes:

Keep the faculty of effort alive in you by a little gratuitous exercise every day. That is, be systematically heroic in little unnecessary points, do every day or two something for no other reason than its difficulty, so that, when the hour of dire need draws nigh, it may find you not unnerved and untrained to stand the test. Asceticism of this sort is like the insurance which a man pays on his house and goods. The tax does him no good at the time, and possibly may never bring him a return. But, if the fire does come, his having paid it will be his salvation from ruin. So with the man who has daily inured himself to habits of concentrated attention, energetic volition, and self-denial in unnecessary things. He will stand like a tower when everything rocks around him, and his softer fellow-mortals are winnowed like chaff in the blast.

We are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. Every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never-so-little scar. The drunken Rip Van Winkle, in Jefferson's play, excuses himself for every fresh dereliction by saying, "I won't count this time!" Well, he may not count it, and a kind Heaven may not count it; but it is being counted none the less. Down among his nerve-cells and fibres the molecules are counting it, registering and storing it up to be used against him when the next temptation comes.

Happiness and Gratitude

Bill Vallicella, who runs the blog Maverick Philosopher, recently posted the following on gratitude:

Every day find something to be grateful for.

It might be the regularity of nature. Without it, how would you make coffee? And then there is coffee itself and its wonderful taste. What a marvelous, yet harmless, drug! And then there are the thoughts that percolate up under its agency. There are so many of them swarming and demanding attention. Some are even worth writing down. Your notebooks lay ready: they weren't destroyed during the night. And the pens too. Your fingers are supple and free of arthritis. And there is your library of books, thousands of them, to supply you with thought- and blog-fodder . . . .

But if you want to be miserable you should be able to find something to kvetch about.

Now, I happen to relate a great deal to the fact that Bill is grateful for things like coffee and its effects, notebooks and pens, books and thoughts. (In fact I doubt I could have said it better myself.) You might not relate to such things at all. But finding something to be grateful for isn't too hard if you stop and think about it. It seems to me that the most grateful people (those who have developed the habit of regularly reflecting on the things they're thankful for) also tend to be the happiest, the most flexible, and the least likely to hazard an emotional "sawed-off-shotgun" in their social dealings. Don't wait for Thanksgiving to think about the things you're thankful for. Do so on a daily basis.

Fear and Illness

In the previous post, I made the following remarks in response to the question: “Have you ever become mysteriously ill just before you had to do something you were afraid to do?”

Illness is actually a common symptom of fear, particularly among those who tend to really get themselves worked up over things. The mind definitely seems to have an affect on the body. But how does such a reaction come to be? Is there anything we can do to combat such a thing, should we suffer from it? It seems to me that this symptom could result from 1) the habit of avoiding fears, or 2) an extreme state of fear. If in the past, for instance, a given person has done, literally whatever they can do to get out of doing what they are afraid to do (or if they are terrified to do something), then, if no other option is available to help them avoid/alleviate their fear, their body could resort to illness. Now, this isn't to say that a person just “decides” to “get sick” when they realize there is no other alternative to avoiding their fear, though that is definitely a possibility. Rather, a person could unconsciously develop the symptoms of an illness in order to avoid a given fear. So what can we do about it?

To continue, consider the following.

When a person has developed the habit of facing their fears (acting in spite of their fear), the problem of becoming ill as a last resort can never arise (assuming their fear is not extreme). Such a person does not seek to avoid their fear at all. Rather, they seek to act, even though they may be afraid. On the other hand, the act of becoming ill in response to a fear is itself a mechanism of avoidance. It is a way of temporarily “getting out of it.” But, as mentioned above, if a person does not allow their fears to master them, if they act, despite being afraid, the problem of illness cannot arise. It's only when a person is looking for a way out that illness becomes an option. It seems then, that the symptom of becoming ill in response to fear, can only develop if we have first developed the habit of avoiding fears. But if we find we have developed such a habit, what can we do to change it?

Habits, as discussed in The Catalyst of Confidence, develop from repetitious actions. If we repeatedly seek to avoid our fears, we will develop the habit of doing so. Conversely, if we repeatedly act, despite being afraid, we will likewise develop such a habit. It should then be clear that a person, should they become ill in response to certain fears, must begin developing the habit of facing their fears. The best way to do this would be to start overcoming small fears and slowly work up to the larger ones. It may also prove helpful to review Lesson V: Action and Habit, and Lesson VI: Fear and Action.

Lastly, as mentioned above, illness could also result from an extreme state of fear. However, there seems to be little reason to consider such a thing. It seems to me that an extreme state of fear can result in one of two ways: Either 1) a person has avoided a relatively harmless fear to such an extent that they have “built it up” to be an extreme fear in their mind, or 2) a person is confronted by something that actually warrants an extreme state of fear (such as being hunted by a psychopath). The former is a result of developing the habit of avoiding fears (which was addressed above), while the latter is something that we really have no practical way of overcoming (unless, of course, we are regularly hunted by psychopaths and are thus able to become accustomed to such situations).

Understanding Your Tendencies: Lesson V

At the end of each lesson in The Catalyst of Confidence there is a short section entitled “understanding your tendencies.” These sections are composed of a series of questions designed to help the reader understand and apply some of the information that was conveyed during the lesson. What follows is my commentary on these questions from Lesson V: Action and Habit.

1. Have you ever found it hard to change?

If you haven't, you should probably check your pulse. The difficultly of change is a result of habit. This doesn't mean that “change is difficult” because we have developed a “change is difficult-like” habit. It means that change is difficult because the very things we wish to change are almost always related to our habits.

2. Have you ever tried to stop doing something, but can't seem to stop?

Although changing a habit is a simple thing to do—it is not easy—and at times can be extremely difficult. One thing to keep in mind is that you should never try to just “stop” doing something. Rather, you should do something other-than whatever it is you want to stop doing. Instead of attempting to “will” a habit to disappear, it is always better to work to replace a habit with another habit. This issue is also addressed in a previous post.

3. Do you ever say you are going to do something, but don't seem to do it?

This is an issue of discipline, which I define as simply “doing what you commit to do.” This is discussed at length here.

4. Are there things other people do that really “tick you off”?

This question gives us a glimpse into the world of emotional intelligence, which will be discussed later. Suffice it to say that the reason we get “ticked off” in response to things that other people do is because we have developed the habit of doing so. Sure, we might disagree with something to the point that our blood boils, but most things are not worth getting so angry over.

5. Do things which once seemed hard now seem easy?

We normally struggle the first time we attempt to do something. But when we continue to perform the actions necessary to do it, over time, our struggle begins to disappear. If we continue further, over time the action itself becomes second nature—it becomes a habit. Realize that beneficial habits are almost always difficult to develop in the early stages. But once they are developed, you can benefit from them for the rest of your life.

Discipline

Discipline is simply the ability to do what you commit to do. If you can't fully commit, don't. Be consistent. Do what you commit yourself to do and only commit to do what you are willing to do. Actions perpetuate themselves. Develop discipline in small things and your habit will carry over into large things.

Life and Habit

A good life is the result of consciously developed habits. Control and master your habits and they will place the world at your feet. Allow them to run wild and undisciplined and they will destroy you.

So-And-So Can't Lie

People often say things that are obnoxiously false. Perhaps they don't realize exactly what it is that they are saying, or maybe they just haven't thought about it very carefully. But regardless of what they may or may not think, they often don't seem the least bit daunted by the fact that they have made a statement that is utterly erroneous.

Consider the statement “so-and-so can't lie.” I have heard such assertions used to describe people surprisingly often. But is such a statement accurate? Is it really true that the said person cannot lie? To begin our investigation, it seems that we must ask what exactly could have happened that would lead a person to express such a statement.

Perhaps “so-and-so” may simply be bad at lying. When asked a direct question (such as “did you do this?”), the validity of his response is betrayed by his tone, facial expression and body language. In other words, despite (say) his denial of responsibility, his tone, facial expression and body language clearly indicate his guilt. In addition, perhaps such situations have cropped up several times, which in itself could lead a person to conclude “so-and-so can't lie.”

Another option is that “so-and-so” doesn't lie. He may be completely honest at all times. If someone wants to know what he thinks about something, they simply ask him and he tells them what he thinks. If he is guilty of doing something, he openly admits it. Again, if “so-and-so” consistently displays such honesty, it is possible that others may conclude that he “can't lie.” This leads us to the crux of our problem.

The problem with a statement like “so-and-so can't lie” is specifically the word can't. If you say that “so-and-so can't walk” because they have no legs, that is one thing. But to say that they “can't lie” is entirely another. The word “can't” implies impossibility. That it is impossible for “so-and-so” to lie. But in order for it to truly be impossible for “so-and-so” to lie, he would have to be unable to communicate in any form whatsoever. If the said person is a bad liar (as explained above), if he has difficulty concealing a lie, it does not follow that he cannot lie. Surely he can, and obviously does, he simply doesn't get away with it. On the other hand, if the said person doesn't lie, if he is honest, it is clearly a mistake to conclude that he can't lie.

A person's actions (which include lying or not lying) are an effect of their will. They are the result of one's choice and initiative. If a person has worked their entire life to be honest because they happen to believe that it is among their moral responsibilities to convey the truth, they have done so as a result of their own conscious choice. It is not that they cannot lie, but rather, they choose to not lie. They may have developed the habit being honest to such a point that they will not lie, but to assume or state that they cannot lie, is to assume that they have no control over their own choices and actions. It is to assume that that is just the “way they are” and that the individual has absolutely no role to play in their actions.

Not only is the statement “so-and-so can't lie” false, but it is also blatantly insulting to “so-and-so.” Some people may accuse me of splitting hairs here, but nonetheless, we should all be more aware of the things we say and the words we use.

Constancy or Rationalization?

It seems the concept of “uprooting bad habits” may require some further elucidation. At first glance, the process of conquering a bad habit is intellectually understood without much difficulty. Functionally, however, it largely remains a mystery to many people. (Perhaps this is because most people have acquired the habit of assuming they understand something, when in fact they only understand it in an intellectual sense.)

Everyone at some point has developed bad habits, a relatively simple feat. Getting rid of them, on the other hand, is another story. When a destructive habit has been identified it cannot simply be “willed” to disappear, but rather, must be replaced with another habit (hopefully a beneficial one).

Though habits are generally performed subconsciously, they are still actions. So, to clarify the language, a bad habit is simply a bad action, albeit performed subconsciously. To replace it, a different action must take it's place. In other words, an individual must consciously act differently, consistently over time, in order to replace a destructive action with a more beneficial one. So far so good. But when it comes to actually doing this, many people find themselves in the dark, opting to conclude that such things are great “in theory” but ultimately not very practical.

So how can someone actually do this?

Consider a person who has developed the habit of watching television in the evening after work. This isn't necessarily anything destructive, but let's say that the said individual would prefer to be more active, as they don't get any exercise during the day, nor would they mind losing some weight. So what can they do? Since the “bad habit” (action) has already been identified, a new habit (action) must be decided upon to take it's place. So the question is what can they do instead of watching television at the time when they would normally sit down and watch television? Suppose this person decides that they can go for a walk. Great, but how can they implement this?

At the point in time when they would normally sit down and watch television, they get up and go for a walk—period. (This is so simple that many of us don't understand it at first.) Notice, I didn't say that they get up and go for a walk “if they feel like it” that day. They get up and go for a walk whether they feel like it or not. If it's raining, they get an umbrella. If it's cold, they put on a jacket. They deal with it, because that is the only way to develop a new habit. That is, if the said individual can maintain constancy in their decision to “go for a walk” instead of watching television, then they will, over time, replace watching television with walking. In short, they will reach a point in time when, rather than wrestling with the urge to sit down and do nothing, they will go for a walk without even thinking about it. Walking will become the new norm.

What traps most people, of course, is a process of rationalization. For example, they may decide “to go for a walk” instead of watching television, but when it comes time to actually “go for the walk,” they come up with some rationalization for why they would be better off “going for the walk,” starting tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, they miraculously have another “good reason” for forgoing the walk (surprise!), and conclude that they'll get to it as “soon as the weekend is over.” Over time, instead of developing the habit of walking instead of watching, they develop the habit of “rationalizing why they will walk some other time” immediately prior to sitting down and watching television!

Brilliant, wouldn't you agree?

As Certain As π

The following quotation appears in the Selected Quotes section at the end of Lesson V: Action and Habit:

“Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly.”

-Aristotle

Piggybacking my previous post The Specter of Discipline, I would like to briefly discuss the simplicity of this quote. To avoid any confusion, I have used the word simple to illustrate not baseness or thoughtlessness, but, on the contrary, brilliance.

Aristotle is essentially saying that excellence is the direct result of right action. Within the context of the previous post, right action would be defined as doing what we have committed ourselves to do. i.e., being consistent in our decisions and actions. The end of our efforts being the attainment of discipline.

As we know (and Aristotle as well, no doubt), all actions seek to perpetuate themselves through the law of habit. Thus, in terms of our objective (discipline) we can easily reformulate Aristotle's immortal words as: Discipline is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have discipline, but we rather have discipline because we have acted rightly.

Right action, in this case, the consistent doing of that which has been decided, will invariably lead to the attainment of discipline. It is as certain as π.

The Specter of Discipline

It seems few things haunt the masses of mankind more than discipline.

Popularly regarded as rather unpleasant and menacing, discipline is a concept which hangs over the heads of many like a ghost. This is, of course, due to the fact that many people tend to view discipline as something they lack rather than positively possess.

When people say something like “I have no discipline,” what they mean is they tend to not follow through with many of their decisions (there are also those who are not conscious of the fact they do such things). Ultimately, a lack of discipline is characterized by an inconsistency between one's decisions and actions. For instance, say I was going out to eat with my wife and had resolved to spend no more than $50 on the meal. But, upon seeing the top-shelf wine selection featured by the restaurant, quickly change my mind, and opt to relinquish my limit. Essentially, I have reneged on my original decision to spend no more than $50. Now, let me emphasize that this is not necessarily much of a problem—in itself—when isolated in the moment (assuming of course I have the money to spend). The problem occurs when I develop the habit of haphazardly acting other-than that which I have decided. Thus I may find myself, perhaps in the not-to-distant future, saying things like “I always spend more than I should, I'm just not disciplined.”

Most people fail to realize that both discipline and indiscipline (the lack thereof) are habits. While discipline is the habit of doing what you commit (decide) to do, indiscipline is the habit of doing other-than what you commit (decide) to do. As described in Lesson V: Action and Habit, all habits result from consistent actions. Hence, those who have developed the habit of discipline (the habit of doing what they commit to do) have done so because they have consistently done what they have committed themselves to do. Whereas those who have developed the habit of indiscipline have done so because they have consistently done other-than what they have committed themselves to do. Indiscipline is developed by not adhering to one's decisions, while discipline is developed by simply following through with them. In short, if you fall under the “not disciplined” banner you have simply developed the habit of indiscipline.

How does one overcome such a habit?

If you struggle with discipline there are many things you can do to develop it. The simple answer is changing your actions (easier said than done, I know). As mentioned above, if you are not a disciplined person it is because you have developed the habit of indiscipline, which may only be replaced by developing the habit of discipline. In other words, you must begin to consciously do what you decide to do. The following tips may be helpful:

• Develop awareness of your decisions: Every day we make hundreds (perhaps thousands) of decisions. Some are small, like brushing your teeth. Others are larger, like going to the gym. Begin to pay attention to your decision making process. Many people literally make most of their decisions unconsciously, that is, with no conscious thought. Your goal is to begin consciously making your decisions and to develop an in-the-moment awareness of when you make them.

• Start with small things: Remember, your ultimate goal is to develop the habit of doing what you decide to do. You may want to lose 100 pounds, but if you've developed the habit of indiscipline, your goal should first be to develop discipline. The best way to do this is to start with small things. Consciously decide to get dressed in the morning. Decide to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner. Decide to go to the bathroom. Decide to take out the trash. This alone will affect you tremendously. Not only will you begin to develop the habit of doing the things you have decided (regardless how small), you will also gain an increased awareness of your decision making process, and will begin to feel more comfortable deciding to do bigger and bigger things. This leads us to our next tip:

• Only decide to do something if you are absolutely sure you will do it: Do not commit yourself to doing anything if you are unsure about your following through with it. As you begin to consciously decide to act on bigger and bigger decisions, you may find yourself uncertain as to whether or not you will follow through. It is better to decide not to do something, than to not do something you have decided.

The key to developing discipline is being consistent in our decisions and actions. Only then may we truly develop the habit of discipline. When we have developed the awareness of our decisions we can begin deciding about the small things in life. The small choices we make and act upon invariably lead to larger and larger ones, until over time, we have developed the habit of doing what we decide to do in all areas of our life.