Tyler McNeal is interested in cinematography and enjoys scriptwriting. He would like to become an author after college. He was inspired about discipline because it is something he has found useful in his life. He disciplines himself when he does something wrong and tells himself that he will do better next time.

I believe that discipline is one of the most important values that a successful person can adopt. Those who choose to learn and master it will notice changes in their lives, perhaps only subtle at first; these alterations will be coupled with a more critical mindset. However, one’s efforts won’t be worth anything unless one understands the complete concept, which is knowing that discipline is not actually one value. It is a combination, a multitude, of various traits. Being proficient in every one of these will gain one a life that is worth living, a life of discipline.

Mistakes are fundamental in the ideology of discipline. It is through a mistake that I began the change which has made me who I am today. A break-up occurred last year that caused me to lose my closest friends, those who I thought were loyal. During this time, many negative things were being said about me and I was emotionally abandoned. My mindset wasn’t in a good place; I joined a martial arts community to take my mind off my disputes at school. Many of the people there befriended me, and I learned not only about combat but also about my partners’ triumphs and failures.

I began my training and learned about the lives of those around me, while at the same time, we sweat together, bled together, laughed together; and still do. I know that I do not suffer by myself and that my combat allies have the same goals. By the end of class, my face is plump red, my body is aching, and my eyelids droop out of fatigue, but I am not alone in this. Pain is the only path towards victory, I tell myself. The struggle is real, but I know that the tremendous, burning fire in my stomach is paving the way for a unique kind of success. I tell myself, the perspiration on my forehead like dots on a canvas, that I must do one more set, one more rep; the fire of burning calories only increases and thus, so does the glory.

I started becoming someone who was more optimistic, and I found myself devoted to new things. I began taking cold showers, while also developing a tolerance for pain and struggle on the training floor. As I felt the freezing water running fluently through my hair, the goosebumps popping up along my arms, I felt that I was being washed not only of the day’s work but of my former self, being turned into someone new as each cold-water droplet splattered on the smooth granite floor of the shower. I soon learned that I didn’t truly care about losing my unfaithful friends. This is how I began, and this is how I continue to press on, in my journey of discipline.

I don’t believe that I will reach the end of the road anytime soon. There is much to be learned and patience is a particular example.  I make mistakes every day, though most are minor, and I analyze those errors to teach myself what I could’ve done better in that situation. I believe that because of these things, I am a more diligent student. I am always continuing to advance my skills in combat. Nowadays, I thank those who turned their backs on me. It is only because of them that I have learned to do things on my own.