Can mental strength be linked to discipline?

Just witnessed a bunch of X-Country Runners from Nan Hua High School pushing the chairs back to their original places as they are leaving the cafe in MacRitchie Reservoir.

Seems like a rare phenomena as its something not common in my school.

Not sure if there's a direct correlation between mental strength and discipline, but I feel that students who are mentally stronger, tend to be able to disciplined.

Somewhat, I realized when I was in e Army, I was able to push myself easily, beating my timings whenever I ran and pushing my body to the limits. It was all linked to the discipline of my mind and body.

However after I'm out of the Army, the mind and body is not as disciplined as before and I do not push myself as hard as before. My mental strength has depleted and my discipline to run just as much, just as fast, has waned.

Discipline is also telling yourself to do what you do not like to do, and you would need a fair bit of mental strength to do that. Its like what the bible says, to crucify our flesh.

How do we develop mental strength? Probably the only way I know how is positive self talk, and the bible is full of promises for us to cling onto, that speaks faith into us.

And I guess to a certain extend, sometimes there's a need to be ruthless on our flesh. In context of running, if I do not push myself and run beyond my comfort zone, I will never improve. However, it is extremely painful to run and stretch the distance, loads of negative self talk, pain and exhaustion comes to the mind.

But it is usually because of that one, or a few, reasons that keeps someone going, pushing beyond the limits.

Perhaps without discipline, I believe one is able to achieve much. But with discipline, the right mental motives and faith as the backbone, one is able to achieve much more.
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