For anyone who is considering joining a uniformed public service, it is essential that they have a
good level of self-discipline in order for them to succeed. Self-discipline from my perspective means
having the ability to control yourself and behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to
tell you what to do. First of all, the individuals in a uniformed public service who have higher levels
of self-discipline are more successful than the ones who don’t because it gives them the inner
strength to overcome laziness and bad habits to follow through on a set goal. This could be as simple
as polishing your boots and ironing kit in the army to maintain good presentation and keep your
standards high.
My chosen public service is the RAF and like any other uniformed public service, it requires a good
level of self-discipline in order to be successful in that career. I personally think that I have a good
level of self-discipline because if something needs to be done, I don’t rely on anyone other than
myself to remind me to get it done. An example of this would be doing my assignments and
submitting them on time. I also have very good attendance and punctuality at college by attending
and turning up on time. This would be crucial for any uniformed public service because being
punctual shows that you can be trusted, as well as being both reliable and dependable. If a fire
fighter was late to the job, many people’s lives could be in danger and that is as a result of the
individual not arriving on time; this also goes for any other emergency services where punctuality is
crucial.
Another key area for having self-discipline is maintaining personal grooming and presentation which
is extremely important for any uniformed public service because you are wearing their uniform and
you are representing that service. However, it is particularly strict across all of the armed forces. This
can include dressing smartly, polishing shoes/ boots and overall having pride in your appearance. I’d
like to think that I have good presentation while attending college because I follow the dress code
and dress appropriately.
A crucial area of weakness for me is composure; I find it difficult to remain calm in stressful
situations and to be in control of my state of mind. It doesn’t just impact my own state of mind; it
can also give confidence to other people. In order to be successful in my chosen public service,
which is the RAF, I need to be able to compose myself because it is a job that requires you to be calm
in certain situations which may appear to be stressful. My first example where it would be needed is
during a time of conflict. Another example would be if you turned up to a death whilst on duty
because you cannot panic and cause other people distress.
Another strength I have in terms of self-discipline would be my personality. Having a good
personality in any of the uniformed public services would be beneficial. Everyone has a different
personality which can either help people bond and form friendships, or do the opposite. Personality
also defines our motivations and our interests. However, I have an introverted personality which
means there is a lot of room for improvement in order for me to become successful in the RAF. This
can involve my becoming more confident and outgoing which will make me more appealing for the
job due to it requiring a lot of team work and communications.
A different requirement needed in order to have a good level of self-discipline would be to have
good attitude. Attitude creates the way you feel about both people and situations. The reason good
attitude is important within the public services is that you are the one’s providing the service which
the public expect to be done with the correct attitude. Having a good attitude can also make people