Context: The following is a discipline conversation between a father and his son. In this conversation, a father listens to his son Raghav’s study problems and tells him the advantages of remaining disciplined and living a disciplined life.
Sample conversation:
Father: Raghav, Where are you? Could you please come to my study for a moment?
Raghav: Sure, what happened, dad?
Father: Your teacher called me today to give me an update on your academic performance because your half-yearly exam is coming up next month.
Raghav: Don’t worry, Dad. My studies are going well. I always submit my assignments on time and do well in my weekly quizzes.
Father: Nice, dear, but your teacher told me that your performance has dropped to average this year. She is concerned that you are not giving your 100% because earlier you used to be at the top of your class.
Raghav: It’s nothing like that; right now, I’m under a lot of pressure from school and the coaching center; keeping up with everything is a bit overwhelming, and I’m getting little to no time for self-study. Every day, I have a lot of homework assigned to me by my school faculty as well as the faculty of my coaching center; it’s difficult to keep up with everything, and it makes me tired all the time, but don’t worry, I’ll do my best in my half-yearly exams.
Father: I understand, and I believe you’re doing your best, but I think you lack discipline in your life.
Raghav: But dad, I think I’m quite disciplined; I always finish my homework on time, never miss an event, and submit my assignment first in class; I never arrive late at school or the coaching center. Did you ever receive any complaints about my lack of discipline?
Father: son, pay attention. Being disciplined requires more than just being punctual. Being on time is not enough. If you want to achieve your goals, you also need to manage your time efficiently and remain active and focused.
Raghav: I am focused on my goals, but I have a lot on my plate right now, which is why I am constantly exhausted. I want to perform better, but there is so much stress.
Father: That is why I want you to understand the importance of discipline in student life. A disciplined life allows you to choose and then stick with actions, thoughts, and behaviors that lead to improvement and success. It also provides you with the power and inner strength to overcome addictions, procrastination, and laziness, as well as to maintain a positive attitude in everything you do.
Raghav: But I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. Some subjects require more attention, but with all of my school and coaching center tasks, I don’t have enough time to study all of my subjects. I mean, I always start with the subjects that require much more attention, but it exhausts me so much that I don’t have the energy to study the remaining subjects.
Father: Son If you are not getting results from your current routine, you can change it. For example, if you try to study subjects that you are good at and that take less time to complete, you will be able to focus on more difficult subjects more easily.
Raghav: I understand, and I totally agree with you. However, the homework I received from school and the coaching center is enough to consume all of my time; I literally need 3–4 hours to complete my homework.
Father: After school, you always take a two-hour nap, and then, after coaching center, you go out with your friends for an hour. Previously, it did not cause much trouble because early classes did not require a lot of effort, but as you progress to higher classes, you must pay close attention to all of your subjects.
Raghav: But last week, when I was sick, I stayed home and continued to struggle with my studies, and relieving stress is also important since I am unable to study all of the time.
Father: Because you spent so much time watching Netflix. Stress relief is necessary, but you must also practice self-control. For example, if napping for two hours is necessary to relax your mind, try to spend all of the extra hours studying only. You can meet your friends on weekends, and for mini breaks, you can go for a walk. Watching videos can result in binging, which wastes a lot of time.
Raghav: You are right, dad. Even I feel that I waste a lot of time scrolling through my phone.
Father: Son, I don’t want you to be stressed. I simply want you to give your 100%. You can not only improve your grades by leading a disciplined life, but you can also set a good example for your friends. Also, you can help them understand how changing small habits and living a disciplined life can benefit them in a variety of ways.
Raghav: Yes, dad, I understand. Thank you for helping. I will try my best to improve myself.
Father: Yes, son, just give it your best. If you need any help, I am always here to help you.
Raghav: Thank you so much, dad.
Glossary:
- Approach: come near or nearer to (someone or something) in time.
- Academic: relating to education and scholarship.
- Overwhelming: very great in amount.
- Faculty: a group of university departments concerned with a major division of knowledge.
- Procrastination: the action of delaying or postponing something.
- Exhaust: make (someone) feel very tired.
- Binging: indulge in an activity, especially eating, drinking, or taking drugs, to excess.
