Discipline, rigor and personal success

It’s my belief that a good mix of discipline and rigor can bring more success into someone’s life, but is it really true? While it’s natural to assume that personal success is strongly correlated with discipline and rigor, it certainly is not the only determining factor and it’s true that other elements also contribute. Success won’t happen without the acquisition and the continued development of skills. 

Then, a plan is needed with goals along the way, to keep one’s eye on the ball at any time, and of course consistent efforts to make it happen. This brings the two ingredients I was questioning. Goal achievement demands rigor and maintained efforts require discipline, even when faced with obstacles or distractions. In the mix, add good time management to accomplish things effectively and prioritize tasks. 

It’s also true that discipline and rigor build resilience, allowing us to bounce back from setbacks and failures, and keep tasks in focus, preventing distraction along the way. Besides rigor and discipline, our natural abilities like creativity, social adaptability, intelligence and talents will give us a head start in multiple areas. 

Same thing with access to opportunities, like education, mentorship, and active networking. Finally, there are luck and circumstance that never fail to influence our lives, well beyond our control, like being in the right place at the right time. Still, all these elements can’t eclipse discipline and rigor as essential components of a broader success equation.