The case against YOLO: Discipline
You may be familiar with the term that rapper Drake has made very popular YOLO meaning “You Only Live Once.” The philosophy behind the popular use of YOLO goes beyond stating the obvious, but delves into day to day decision making. Should I save my money now or blow it on a new pair of shoes? Answer: YOLO. Should I stick to my diet or eat this large slice of pizza? Answer: YOLO. Should I hook up with this guy that is totally wrong for me or wait for someone who is worthwhile? Answer: YOLO. You get my drift. I am all too familiar with the YOLO lifestyle because that’s how I used to live; I even based a whole relationship on the principle. After years of living my life making decisions based on a whim I was left depressed, fat and broke. The down side of YOLO is not so glamorous.
I can see this flawed philosophy in so many aspects of our culture. When did we stop fighting for our lives? When did mediocrity become so popular? I say this with the best of sentiments as I was someone who was a slave to YOLO. I broke free from that mentality when I understood how great my purpose in life was; and how my desire for an amazing life outweighed the pleasure of any instant gratification. I received strength and peace from God; I got clarity about my purpose through Christ. This life isn’t easy and I couldn’t do it on my own.
Discipline
The aspect of YOLO I do like is the reinforcement of our limited time on earth. If we want anything great we have to have the disciple to work hard, sacrifice and the ability to focus on goals. It’s a little comical that the same affluent successful people who are talking about YOLO are the same ones that had to sacrifice and discipline themselves to excel at their craft.
There is no magic pill to conquering a goal. When I was 65 pounds overweight and trying to lose, there were moments when I just wanted to go to KFC and order a bucket of chicken and say YOLO with my middle finger in the air. Yes, all that food would have made me feel happy at the moment, but then I would feel depressed about my lack of discipline. Discipline your life and get serious about your purpose. Discipline and self-control is a gift from God. I seriously believe it is something we forget to realize when we run around thinking the devil and people are sabotaging our lives when it is us the whole time.
There are still areas of my life I am still learning to disciple, but I am working to be better every day. What area of your life is hard to discipline? What is your take on the term YOLO? How have you conquered a goal by being disciplined? Share your thoughts and comments.
Paparoxi | tagged God, YOLO, changing your life, inspiration, self-worth 
Reader Comments (4)
YOLO is a dangerous double edged sword lol. I love this post. Discipline is needed. I'll admit I'm guilty of letting YOLO talk me into eating something I know I shouldn't eat. It has also pushed me to do things without letting possibly embarrassment or what people might think hold me back.
I struggle with discipline in my eating on the weekends, but I'm working on it!
Because, YOLO...and I don't want to spend part of this once struggling with disease or ailment that could have been prevented.
@LaNesha It is a double edge sword! I get the positive aspect of YOLO, but when you do a search on twitter/instagram all you see is foolery. I believe for the most part our culture uses it to justify negative behavior.
The beautiful thing about your comment is you are honest with yourself and you know you are working on it. I am a work in progress too! Its still hard at times not to want to eat a box of donuts but being aware of our destructive behavior make us more inclined to change.
Great post. So relevant to the way I've been living recently, as well as to the conversations I have had with a number of people that hold a certain degree of influence in my life.
As you've pointed out, there are benefits to YOLO, such as remembering that our lives are transient, so we should seize the day. However, seizing the day does not imply that we should forsake responsibility, lose accountability and live reckless lives.
This is a lesson we learn as we mature. The things we used to see as glamorous are now seen as distractors and detractors. We've become disillusioned in the best possible way.
Me, personally, I've come up with a solution to counter YOLO. And it's basically centered around accountability. Taking accountability for my thoughts and actions. Implementing DO-actions. Being proactive in coming up with strategies and tactics to seeing my goals through to completion. Cutting out media programs with ingrained ideals and messages that go against my way of life. Saying NO to certain things, and yes to others. Understanding that playing hard should come AFTER working hard… not before. These are common sense principles, yes, but principles of which, at times, we need to be reminded.
Living by the code of YOLO perhaps gets us invited to certain parties… grants us access to the cool kids club… but at what cost? Forsaking our respective life paths… getting sidetracked so as to not find peace until old age sets in, when we could all be living with peace now.
I could go on and on… but I feel like I've said plenty. Thanks for this article. Was confirmation that I am on the right track. :)
This post was great and very needed. You spoke volumes in the one line "When did we stop fighting for our lives? When did mediocrity become so popular?" I'm at a place where I recognize I need to fight for my life. I am not going through any major hardships but I have goals that I need to work towards. I am starting grad school, transitioning to natural, starting a new full time job and relaunching my blog. Discipline and productive patience are words that have been heavy on my heart the last few weeks. This post was confirmation that I'm taking steps in the right direction and I will continue to fight the good fight. Hope this post is an encouragement to others as well.