The case for exceptional discipline

This first appeared in Axios Finish Line, as Axios CEO Jim VandeHei’s weekly post on hard-learned life and leadership lessons.

Achieving insane success at work or in personal missions often requires insane effort and discipline, Jim writes.

Why it matters: Almost every person at the top of their game – be it sports or business – does extraordinary things to make their mind and body work optimally and at a higher level than others.

• People too often lose sight of how much of your life—your health, your happiness, your intelligence, your career—you control. This can be a lazy and unreasonable mentality.
• Yes, it is much easier for people with money, power or free time. But I’m sure it applies to all of us, which is one big reason why many of the exercises we promote on Finish Line can be done without a gym or equipment.

My “aha!” moment: By my early 20s, I was about as unhealthy as you could get: drinking copious amounts of beer … living on burgers, corn dogs and pizza … smoking … and rarely exercising.

• I also started experiencing the early signs of ankylosing spondylitis, a rare disease that eventually leaves your entire spine fused and inflexible. The pain and immobility are often debilitating.
• I later tracked down one of the world’s leading experts on AS in search of a cure, only to find that none existed. But I found several studies that show that Pilates—and the extraordinary strength of the inner core—mitigates pain and can compensate for inflexibility.

I asked the doctor what would happen if i just never sat still again, worked out constantly, mastered pilates and basically kept my spine in constant motion to complicate any fusion. He said: Go ahead.

• At 51 my lower and upper spine are fused but I’m active as hell (biking, hiking, running, lifting, pilates, core) and rarely if ever in pain. It opened my eyes to the benefits of extreme discipline.

You will find that most people doing extraordinary things is not just born with a gift – they have learned courage and hard, meticulous work.

• A good example of this: Jonathan Swan is a star reporter for Axios, known for his cinematic writing and riveting, hard-as-a-wood interviews with Donald Trump and more.
• I see it I study my subjects to exhaustion, I watch old interviews like an NFL QB watches game film, and I work harder – and care more about his craft and accuracy – than any reporter I know.

This is what exceptional discipline is it can apply to different parts of our lives. (Please send me your personal examples.)

1. Our diets: There are countless good ones, but let’s face it – most boil down to reducing things (sugar, simple carbohydrates, alcohol, processed food) and increasing things (more water, vegetables, fiber, healthy proteins – peas, eggs, fish). Try the extreme discipline of dieting for a week and measure how you feel.

2. Our Faith/Mind: It is difficult to center your brain and soul without daily meditation, prayer, reflection. I try to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes and pray afterwards in the morning. For me, this only works when I am extremely disciplined.

• Confession: I lost weight with the Transcendental Meditation routine while on vacation, largely because I became too extremely disciplined about drinking with friends every night 😉. Writing this is forcing me to get back on track.

3. Our bodies: For me, every person should find daily ean exercise habit, even if it’s walking, air squats, planks or cycling. The body and mind work significantly less well without it. Start young to make it an extreme habit. But better to start now than tomorrow.

4. Our Careers: All of the above gives you a huge advantage at work. But if you really want to crush the thing you spend most of your hours doing, you have to be more disciplined and demanding than others. There is no easy way to be great.

5. Our Kindness: This may seem like a strange code. But few things nurture fulfillment and inner joy more than giving to others. If you think about the benefits (helping others + the mental lift from it), this is a very effective use of extreme discipline.

The big picture: Start small – choose a passion to practice an extreme discipline for a few months. You will find it becomes easier to apply it to other parts of your life.