Self-Improvement: Getting started with Discipline
Aaron
March 20, 2022
One of the first things you learn in returning to a traditional lifestyle is self-discipline. This article will help you set standards for yourself, learn to speak with responsibility, and has an extra part at the end containing some classic etiquette practices.
Set standards for yourself.
Our life should include disciplinary standards. As we escape modernism, we must re-moralize by adapting to a traditional lifestyle. Below is a list of disciplinary actions to try to include in your daily life:
- Get 8 hours of sleep. Getting around eight hours of sleep is healthy for an adult. You should try to reach for eight hours, and try not to oversleep or sleep too little.
- Wake up before 8 am. This should be the universal standard. Waking up early helps the body maintain a natural sleep schedule; we should strive to be awake when the sun is rising.
- Make your bed every day. Making your bed every morning is the day’s first accomplishment. Completing this small and easy task will allow you to reach for and achieve higher goals as the rest of the day passes.
- Bathe daily. You should have a healthy routine for bathing. This means brushing teeth, showering daily, and maintaining proper hygiene.
- Dress modestly. Men should wear a tucked shirt with a collar. Women should dress with a respect for modesty and femininity.
- Maintain healthy posture. Keep your shoulders back. Your chin should be up, and your feet should remain flat.
- Eat a healthy diet. Avoid processed foods. Eat a diet that emphasizes nutrition over pleasure; one without unnecessary oils and non-nutrients. Organic food, vitamins, and minerals go a long way.
- Drink only water. Water is universally the best thing we should be drinking. Avoid soda, energy drinks, and coffee.
- Exercise 6 days a week. Even by only taking daily walks or bike rides, the human body needs to be moving as much as possible. We should take our physical health seriously.
- No drugs, alcohol, etc. Hedonistic ideas are the opposing force of discipline. Pleasure and self-indulgence are not the highest good, nor are the proper aim of human life.
- Take educated risks. If you have an opportunity to better yourself, do not sit on it, try it out. Do not wonder what could have been, and use your discretion.
Most of us are young, and sticking to these standards is difficult. It’s okay to make mistakes, especially in our situation where traditions and rules of etiquette have been slowly disappearing for the past few generations. Many people in our community will have a difficult time adapting to our values, but if we all collectively strive to improve ourselves by living our lives this way, it will come with ease for all of us. (It may also inspire our peers!)
Speak responsibly.
Language is a tool that should be used responsibly. We should speak clearly, use proper grammar, and try to avoid shortened (or vulgar) language, as well as vulgar jokes. We try to understand the value of speech, but also the value of silence. We should govern ourselves to be gentle and patient; by doing so, we appear mature and composed.
When in a conversation, we respect each other by making eye contact. We shake hands upon introduction, and present ourselves with appropriate body language. Penmanship, especially cursive handwriting, is something that should also be practiced and restored.
Some classic rules for etiquette
To wrap up this short article, I wanted to include some western social/etiquette rules that I found interesting from the past few centuries. The reestablishment of etiquette in the United States is important. As our society falls to its hedonistic surroundings, we can improve our quality of life by re-introducing older and more sophisticated standards. The following is a list of traditional rules that we should seek to continue:
- Send letters
- Arrive on time
- RSVP early
- Do not point
- Make eye contact
- Stand when being introduced, shake hands firmly
- The man should pay for the woman
- Express gratitude
- Write thank-you notes
- Dress appropriately
- Do not swear
- Cover your mouth when coughing
- Do not yawn in public
- Wait for everyone before eating
- Avoid private conversations in front of others
- Eat with your mouth closed
- Gentlemen should open the door for ladies
Adapting these standards to our lives can help us restore the world our ancestors build for us. The traditional community is a disciplined one, but we are doing this to enjoy life! The disciplined lifestyle is not to live less, but to live more fully.