In some ways I agree it can be learned or enhanced. That is what we do at Parris Island at Marine Recruit Training.
But do you have the discipline to stay awake sitting in a gun truck being up over 24hrs with no food? Do you have the discipline to prioritize your education for 7-10 years over everything else in life? Do you have the discipline to quit a drug you are dependent on cold turkey?
And maybe you do for all these things Luki. But some people in this world have the discipline and drive to be great at anything. They could be pro bodybuilders (minus the physical genetic component), lawyers, doctors, CEOs. I knew a kid... salutatorian in high school while taking college credits, state finalist wrestler, went to an Ivy League, got a double masters in 5 years while wrestling D1... ran a marathon for the first time just for fun. That kid can do anything. But he is in the gross minority.
That is all I am saying. Discipline can be trained to some point. But there is definitely a genetic component just like everything else. That is all I am saying.. to not jump to conclusions when the topic is something you are really really good at for many years and might take how good you are at it for granted.
Im sticking up for the anyman haha
Discipline is the most important thing.
Without discipline, you can’t go far in bodybuilding — or in anything else. Of course, you need discipline for everything in life. But the best kind of discipline is when you actually enjoy what you’re doing.
If you’re doing bodybuilding only because you like the way it looks — but you hate the process — you won’t last long. You need to love the process. Love the training, the meals, the routine. If you don’t love it — that’s fine — but go find something else. Something that makes you happy.
When you enjoy something, discipline becomes much easier.
People who had hard lives from a young age usually have stronger discipline. Now we live in a different world. A lot of younger people — not even teenagers, but guys born after 2000 — never had real problems. Parents gave them everything.
Now when they face a small problem, they feel depressed or anxious. Even little things become too much.
Back in the day, we didn’t have that. Our parents didn’t baby us. If we fell and cut our knee — no one rushed to help us. Sometimes we even got yelled at for making a mess. Sounds crazy, but it was like that. And you can see the difference — people born in the ’70s or ’80s usually have stronger minds than those born in the late ’90s or 2000s.
It’s not about being better — it’s just a different time. But if you want to grow, in bodybuilding or in life — you need discipline. And the best way to keep discipline is to love what you do.