Credit: Stijn Swinnen

On “5 Nov 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, on a run from doing the hard work and duty.

But on “5 Nov 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 did not 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…

Today is “28 Feb 2024”, and I look at those days with honor and respect. If I die tomorrow, and they ask me about the accomplishments of my life, I will emphasize that four months period and having such a good-hearted and hardworking son, Ryan…