Discipline with something necessary — such as going to work or putting gas in your car — is easy enough to do. Discipline becomes a challenge when there is no downside to slipping.

Over the last six weeks I’ve been playing around with intermittent fasting. Depending on the day, my fasting window ranges from around 16-20 hours.

It started out of curiosity when a friend from work told me about the benefits he noticed by doing it. He had more energy, mental focus clarity, and some weight loss.

I’ve noticed much of the same, though I don’t think it’s been quite as impactful. However, health benefits aside, I’ve had one outcome that I didn’t expect: a lesson in discipline.

I’m not a glutton, but I like to eat — and when I get hungry, my patience fades fast. I also love breakfast, it’s arguably my favourite meal of the day. So the idea of skipping it didn’t sit well. Neither did the thought of waiting until late in the afternoon to have my first meal of the day.

There have been some incredibly challenging moments, and in them, I was able to push through. After a few days of that, I remembered that I don’t need to be doing this — it’s a choice I made to challenge myself.

That’s what’s been so impactful about my discipline with this exercise. I didn’t force myself to do it because I had to, I did it for the sake of doing it.