Abraham Lincoln: You Don't Win With Discipline, You Win With...

The disciplined athlete wins the awards.

The disciplined entrepreneur grows the business.

The disciplined artist creates the best work.

When you show up, not some days, not just most days, but every day, that is how you separate yourself from the pack.

But just maybe it isn't the way--it isn't the key to winning. Maybe the world is lying. Maybe the successful are deceiving you. Maybe society has it all wrong. 

Discipline is important, but it's not the North Star--that's diligence.

Abraham Lincoln came from nothing. He was born into poverty, losing his mother at nine years old, and stuck with a father who devalued the one thing that gave Lincoln a chance: education. But despite the unfavorable hand, Lincoln made himself. 

With no access to formal education, he asked neighbors for books and scoured the countryside, walking miles at a time, to get his hands on any type of literature he could find. As Lincoln told a neighbor, “I’ll study and get ready, and then the chance will come.”

The pursuit of learning, of getting lost in the written word, led him on the path of studying law, which was no easy task. One does not just become a lawyer, you work your way. It's hours and hours of not just reading the books and understanding the concepts but mastering them. 

The former is discipline, the latter is diligence. 

It wasn't discipline that made Lincoln an esteemed lawyer.

It wasn't discipline that helped him become the unlikely 16th president of the United States. It wasn't discipline that aided Lincoln in attacking the biggest issue of the time--slavery.

It was a dear friend and colleague--diligence. 

After Lincoln created a well-known reputation in the Midwest as a lawyer, he spent much of his time working and talking with other law students, giving them the ins and outs of the craft, offering advice, and doing whatever he could to help them in their pursuit. 

During one talk, he gave a group of students the key to their success,

The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for tomorrow that can be done today.

The key to winning in any area, any craft, any role, is a subtle difference. It's not much, or it may not seem like much, but it's everything.

Discipline is showing up every day.

Diligence is showing out every day. 

The former gets you started.

The latter gets you somewhere.

Because showing up is none of the battle. You don't get rewarded for being disciplined, for showing up to the gym, work, or as a parent every day. You get rewarded for what you do after you show up. Did you give all your effort? Did you get the results? Were you intentional and effective?

That's what matters. It's not about and never has been about showing up, it's about showing out after you show up.

Diligence is discipline, but discipline is not diligence. 

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that discipline will help you win. It's a key and an important step, but there's another level after that. And your ability to turn on that gear--to be diligent--is what is the true separator in life. 

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