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 M¢25  Funded By Mahalo ? |  February 23, 2009 12:07 AM

Are people born with "will power/self discipline" or is this a learned trait?

Just contemplating... Some people have a drive that seems to persist through even the hardest times, while others have no self discipline whatsoever. Is this a learned behavior or do people innately possess these traits?
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February 23, 2009 04:33 AM
I'd say both. One of my kids has the strongest will I've ever seen; yet this child is also highly disorganized in some ways. As she gets older she's learning to be organized. She is a real challenge, because she is so very strong-willed that no one can change her course except herself. So we work by persuading her to see things our way, rather than coercing her. If it's not her idea she would almost rather die than give in. She's been like this since she was tiny--I was first told she'd be a great diplomat when she was three years old! It's tough now, but I think she's going to be an admirable adult who could be truly great. This strength of will is, I think, a personality trait.

Discipline is a little different. A person with a great will and great drive and a firm goal in mind can learn to be self-disciplined to reach that goal, even if organization doesn't come naturally to him. People with super-strong wills can be quite literally willing to die for what they believe in and will let nothing sidetrack from their goals. A person who might be born organized can't necessarily develop the do-or-die iron will determination involving sacrifice at crucial junctures.
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• Well said.


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February 23, 2009 12:12 AM
Both, however will power/self discipline is learned to accomplish goals, however depending on the amount of will power/self discipline is depending on a lot of genetic traits as well.

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February 23, 2009 12:37 AM
Self discipline is a learned trait, not born with it, yet parents who are self-disciplined can assist their child with becoming self-disciplined. Because parents are a child’s most influential teachers, the best place for children to learn self-discipline is at home. For self-discipline to develop, parents must:

- Maintain high and consistent expectations.
-Provide reasonable and consistent consequences for children’s choices.
-Teach goal-setting. Goals help children focus on what is important.
-Teach time management so children can successfully prioritize and balance school responsibilities and leisure time.
-Teach organizational skills and consistently reinforce good organization.
-Teach problem solving strategies so children make good choices.

**The Myth of Self Discipline**

Myth: Self discipline is something that you either have or don’t have.

Fact: Self discipline is a tool that you use or don’t use.

Self discipline isn’t the result of your genetics. It isn’t something you’re born with or something you have. Self discipline is a tool and you either use it or you don’t.

Self discipline is most visible by its absence.

Think of it this way: self discipline is a skill, like knife skills in the kitchen. Did you ever see one of those TV chefs showing off his knife skills? He would chop an onion razor thin with a knife as sharp as a scalpel without even looking at his hands. Did he always have this skill? No, he simply practiced and developed it. He probably cut himself a few times as he developed his skill with the knife, but the more he used it, the better he became.
Another example: imagine you’re in Italy with your spouse and you want to find your way to the Colosseum. You don’t speak Italian, but you have a tool … an Italian dictionary! Though you sound ridiculous to the cab driver, you’re able to muddle through and communicate your desired destination. As with the knife, the more you use Italian, the better you become at it. The more you use it, the more you can make happen. The same is true for self discipline.

And the more you use it, the easier it will get. Just like with a language or with a knife in the kitchen, it gets easier and easier with repeated usage. The phrases come more naturally and the onions are chopped so thinly! Pretty soon, others think that skill is something you “have,” something innate, something that’s “inside you.” But you’ll know the truth.

If you can understand that self discipline is something you use and not something you have, then you can use it to accomplish almost any goal you set. You can use it whenever you want or leave it whenever you want.

Most people recognize this truth when it comes to learning a language or learning a new skill, but when it comes to self discipline, why do we want to believe it’s beyond our control? Why do we want to blame other people? Why do we want to say, brag even, that we don’t have it? Most people think it’s a simple character trait or a permanent part of their personality, but that’s a profound mistake.

Have you ever heard someone say, “She has such great potential, if only she had self discipline.” The fact is, everyone has access to self discipline, most people just haven’t chosen to use it. Just like everyone has access to an Italian dictionary or to a chef’s knife, everyone has access to use self discipline. We even teach it to dogs!

Instead, most people stress and worry if they “have what it takes,” They wonder if they have “it” in them, as if “it” was put there by experience, wisdom , parents, or genetics. But self discipline is never “put there,” it’s just a tool like an Italian dictionary or a chef’s knife.
You already have what it takes to succeed. Use it!
Source(s):
http://www.hsv.k12.al.us/schools/middle/WhiteMS/Guidance/cantrell_c/Develop...
http://www.thewisdomjournal.com/Blog/the-myth-of-self-discipline/


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February 23, 2009 12:40 AM
To be blunt, this is spoken like a person who has no children.

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February 23, 2009 12:43 AM
True, but all points of view are welcome. Not everyone has the experience of parenting.

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February 23, 2009 05:34 AM
True newbey, and that is why I do not consider the answer unhelpful.

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February 23, 2009 12:58 AM
People are born with self discipline. Anyone who has more than one child can testify to this. But this does not mean that self discipline and will power can not be enhanced by practice and habit. This also does not mean that people who are self disciplined and have will power are also organized. Organization can also be enhanced. Will power, self discipline and organization are all separate traits that people have in differing degrees. The person who can stop smoking cold turkey, can also be somewhat of a slob and unable to organize their life. The person who can save money regularly, may have great difficulty stopping smoking or keeping their house clean. The person who is meticulously organized in their life can also run up a terrible credit card bill and not be able to stop smoking.

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