This is the famous quote attributed to Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Read it one more time. Yes. It seems as if we are in-front of a piece of a mirror. Many of us think, we are the children of circumstances. We may also believe change is harder. Then, how is it a small incident changes the course of life? As we have seen in cases of great achievers or losers, it is always that turning-point we attribute the change to. The course of life might change in the instance, as long as we notice it and take it. Else, the path is always there. Not perturbed by who takes it or not. 

Discipline is one such hard nut. Doing something with purpose irrespective of your mood. It might be walking few thousand steps a day, writing a few lines on the journal or waking up at the same time. When you do it based on your own rules, you can call it self-discipline. The best in its form. 

Self-discipline is not about making things harder on purpose. It is about training self to rule self. Staying resilient in the face of difficulty and doubt. Being strong during the course of life. Some say, define and focus on the goal. Covert the path to achieving that goal into a set of actions you follow-through. Don’t let mood and feelings come-in-the-way. If you do this with purpose, it becomes a habit. Muscle memory take-over and you become a master. Masters get the flow. Achieve flexibility. Stay ahead of their game. Their craft defines them in the world. Be it a prodigy or a self-taught master, they follow the same regime. They change themselves by doing what makes them. 

So, if you want to be the best version of yourself. You have to discover what makes you. Once you do that, it is a matter of doing it with purpose till you become that. Like a passionate musician, a painter or a cartoonist, you will build the skill – no matter where you are, what tools you get. Your craft becomes a masterpiece. More you use, it evolves and modifies you. Be it a business man, a teacher or a political leader, what you do modifies you. So, pick-and-choose what you do. Do it with purpose, all-ways. 

be a #dreamerdoer