Reflecting on the 5 acts of self-discipline traces back to when I was first introduced to these 5 key values that guided me as a young adult in my daily interactions.
I joined World Peace Initiative Foundation in 2017 as a Peace Rebel, back then I started the 42 days of self-development. In this program, I was introduced to the 5 acts of self-discipline which has been a huge life transformation.
The 5 acts of self-discipline guide a person in ways that they should rightfully behave so that they become the best version of themselves. Applied in our daily life, these acts do not only improve our personal relationship, but secure a better professional relationship in our career. Currently, we live in a world where one’s network is their net worth: the more people we positively impact both professionally and personally, the more it will determine how wealthy we are.
Remarking on personal interactions, it is safe to say: if we abide to our normal habits while being unsure whether we affect people negatively in our interactions, we will be taking the risk of losing professional relationship networking value. For instance, if you tell lies, speak harshly or gossip about your colleagues, it will definitely leave a negative impact on your professional relationship which in the end can negatively affect your career.
THE 5 ACTS OF SELF-DISCIPLINE
- Refrain from killing or hurting the life of people and living beings
- Keep away from stealing or damaging the property of others
- Avoid sexual misconduct
- Choose not to use false or hurtful speech as well as telling lies
- Stay away from using intoxicants including smoking
1. Refraining from hurting others, including killing other living beings. This is a great constructive way that can help a person balance their emotions and avoid being aggressive when faced with challenges at workplace or in general. If you feed the mind with positive acts, it will reflect positive energy when faced with life situations that sometimes trigger excessive anger in us. We, human beings, are not perfect but if we cultivate good habits, we will not result in hurting anyone, including other living beings, such as animals or insects, when faced with extreme anger. Instead of reacting to that negativity, we would rather do positive things that help us maintain our mood and balance, like taking a walk or talking to a friend, or if necessary – paying a visit to a therapist.
2. Refraining from stealing or damaging other people’s property. Any potential employer wants a trustworthy employee and to be professional, one needs to have a good, trustworthy record. Having a habit of stealing or damaging things at the workplace minimizes one’s chances to secure the next job that would potentially add a greater income. Hence, to secure the best professional relationships, this act is very essential to be maintained in our daily life interactions.
3. Refraining from sexual misconduct. This act is very essential to have great professional relationships. In a workplace, the employee and even employer should adhere to being professional as this will help the company grow instead of having the employee resign from the job due to experiencing sexual harassment. Cultivating a professional relationship, speaking and dressing decently will help uplifting this core value which I believe will create long-lasting, real, beneficial and professional relationships.
4. Refraining from lies and hurtful speech. This is a great life value that will help one deliver work and better manage time through being honest. If one has the habit of lying, it will affect one’s career and make lose people in one’s network due to not being reliable. Lying does not get us out of trouble, it makes us look unprofessional. If instead of sticking to a deadline, one chooses to revert by lying, this makes one look unprofessional and will greatly affect one’s interactions.
5. Refraining from the use of intoxicants. There is a great reason to believe that one will procrastinate more if one chooses to use intoxicants in daily life. Not only dreams will fall non-achieved, but one will also lose professional relationships. Intoxicants can lead to being unreliable which is not something one wants to be identified with in the workplace or in general. This has been one of the core values I’ve been observing and personally see the difference made in my overall career.
In summary, these 5 acts are worth a try. From my personal experience, I’ve managed to finalize my university studies and have made long-lasting, professional relationships going further in my middle career as a lawyer. I’ve managed to network, build self-respect and make people believe that I’m a trustworthy person. Hence, it is essential to incorporate these 5 acts for a good, powerful career.
Photo credits: Photo No. 1 and Photo No.2
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