The Most Valuable Skill In The World

​Imagine someone asks you if you have the most valuable skill in the world. Would you say yes? Would you even know what that person is talking about? I want to talk about one of the most essential skills that we, as athletes, could have. This skill can make or break you. It has the ability to make the unthinkable possible. If we can master this one skill, everything else eventually falls into place. Can you guess what this remarkable skill is that I am talking about? I am talking about the most valuable skill in the world, discipline. 

​Yes, discipline. If you think you lack discipline in your life, then this article is perfect for you. Lacking discipline is nothing to be ashamed of. We have all been guilty of it sometime in our lives. There will always be something that we don’t feel like doing and would much rather do something else. If you are an athlete, this might be putting in some extra work at the end of a challenging practice. You know it could help you in the long run, but you simply don’t want to do it.

​In our everyday lives, it could be something as simple as doing the dishes. There is never a good time to do it, but we know it needs to be done. If you feel like you lack discipline in your life, then you are in luck!

What is Discipline?
Discipline refers to our commitment to a particular goal and our willingness to take action. We all have discipline to some degree. You know exactly where you stand in terms of your discipline. Many times we feel like we don’t have enough discipline to reach our goals. Luckily, we don’t have to be stuck with our lack of discipline.
​Discipline is a skill that can be learned.  

However, the difficulty of learning this skill depends on several key factors. For example, your ability to learn new things quickly or your willingness to keep trying when things are hard. Ironically, it requires discipline to learn discipline. It might be easy to learn for some and seem near impossible for others. So if it is so hard to teach yourself discipline, why do it? ​

Why Is Discipline Important?
The beauty of mastering discipline is that discipline is one of the few skills that ties everything together. Everything you do in your life requires some level of discipline for it to be completed successfully. The level of success you reach in those tasks are entirely dependent on your level of discipline throughout them. 

​Discipline is something I have always struggled with until my junior year of college. This was when I decided to do everything to the best of my ability, no matter the cost. I knew that the result was going to be greater than the cost. As a result, it is a skill that I still carry with me today, wherever I go and whatever I do. Discipline has shown me how close we are to achieving the impossible. 

I have achieved things throughout my swimming career that I once only dreamed of. The biggest mistake a lot of us make is to attempt giant leaps rather than little steps. Discipline allows us to be one percent better every day. That’s all we need. If you can be one percent better today than yesterday, you are moving in the right direction.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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