Credit: Stijn Swinnen

Today is Nov 5! On “Nov 5, 2012” I made a revolutionary step in my life. I set myself up to become a disciplined person. (Immanuel Kant was and still is my role model in life). It was completely new and contrary to my lifestyle since my childhood. Whenever I needed to be disciplined, I was like a bullet out of a fired pistol, scaping from doing the hard work and duty.

But on “Nov 5, 2012”, for an unknown reason, I decided to change that. Honestly, there were neither a predetermined planning nor a motivational video or book as a root cause, but there were some very long and painful contemplations that I kept in my mind for decades (I believe I started to feel the need of being disciplined since 4th grade, or when I was 10 years old kid) that pushed me to change.

For the next 4 months, I only ate the same lunch, took a walk from 13:45 to 14:30, wrote a heck of code, read multiple technical books on a regular basis, and detoxed my brain from most of the poisons and pains that I fed myself during the years due to the lack of discipline.

It was like doing strength training or martial arts and hating it in the beginning, but then one sees the results and the effects on confidence and personality. For me, it was the same process, but at the mind level and not the muscles.

Unfortunately, it continued for only 4 months, and I don’t remember why I didn’t continue that process either. Maybe because I was punishing myself for not being a disciplined person! That being said, I can say with high confidence that those 4 months were one of the most memorable and fruitful times in my life.

The element of persistence and doing the hard things were bold and standing! It can be one of the reasons that it lasted for only 4 months. Nonetheless, as Immanuel Kant says himself:

Man must be disciplined, for he is by nature raw and wild…

Maybe this intrinsic rawness and wildness caught me later, as I was relying on my sheer willpower. Years later, I learned that I should evolve this willpower to a system called Atomic Habits.

Making the atomic habits and its benefits is a whole new subject to discuss, but I am tempted to give it another try with a refined procedure and mindset.

All in all, I must say that this period was a precious experience and made a milestone in my life. I celebrate it every year like Nowruz (Persian new year) and Christmas, as it reminds me of my potentials, capabilities, and successfully executing a new way of life…