It starts with owning your own sh*t...
So what is discipline?
Self-discipline to be more specific is the ability to control yourself in whatever situation you find yourself in and to make yourself work hard toward a goal or behave in a particular way without needing anyone else to tell you what to do.
This is hard and we fail at it quite often when we are attempting something new in our lives. We will often need others to redirect us or call us out, especially until we reach the point of being able to look at ourselves in the mirror and own our own shit... disclaimer: you’re going to have to get used to this phrase, I use it as well as Fail Forward a lot. Sorry, not sorry ;)
So you might be asking yourself right now...
Why is it so hard to stay disciplined? I really want to achieve this goal but I’m struggling!
Well...it’s because we allow our mind to interfere in the path of being disciplined. Our minds are wired to run away from danger and things that can harm us. It stems back to the caveman days and saved many cavemen from lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) but it really doesn’t help up today because that new gym membership you’re thinking about or the gluten-free section of the grocery store isn’t going to eat you. It’s just causing some anxiety within you because it’s uncharted territory.
The other problem with self-discipline is that it is hard. Self discipline by nature means making choices that are focused on an end goal away from what we are used to, rather than the path of least resistance. We like to stick with what we know. Failing is scary...but failing = learning!
Fail Forward, my friends!
So if you are struggling with self-discipline, I challenge you to keep reading. No one is born with self-discipline superpowers. They just worked hard at it and you can too!
To start, pick one or two of the tips I’m about to give you, apply them to your daily life and be amazed at how YOU can become the master of your goals!
Know your weaknesses - If you are not aware of your weaknesses (or not willing to own up to them) now is the time to ask those closest to you what they are.
Knowing your weaknesses is actually a good thing. It will give you the insight that you need to become more confident in developing an awareness of what you need to improve.
Self Monitor - Self-monitoring helps us become experts on our own behaviors and it will make unhealthy habits easier to conquer.
Try keeping a calendar and track what you do. The good, the bad, and the ugly. ALL OF IT!!
Becoming aware of patterns will help you to head them off and conquer them, once and for all.
Focus on the positives - Our mind keeps a note of things that make us most happy. Indirectly or not!
Whether its likes or follows on social media or by doing joyful things with our friends or family. The mind indirectly gives us a signal to do those tasks again and again by releasing dopamine.
The goal is to start getting dopamine to be released from healthy habits. The more you do this, the more you’ll see your self-discipline begin to kick it.
Wanna kick this into action fast? Try keeping a gratitude journal and see how your mindset shifts.
Control your impulses - Control your impulses to master your self-control and self-discipline. Don’t satisfy yourself with temporary pleasures because of peer pressure or because you’re alone and no one is watching.
You have to stay hungry for success until you start feeling more confident and realize that the reward of reaching your goal is much greater than whatever you desire in the moment.
Take small steps - You can’t just go straight to the top. Sorry folks, that’s not how it works. You gotta fall flat on your face multiple times before you get to stand on the top of mountain and enjoy the view.
My advice here is to go little by little towards the goal, and pay attention to the lessons along the way. You will notice by doing this, that your life will slowly begin to change and your self-discipline will start to kick in as you feel better and notice you’re getting more done.
Bonus Tip: Have an Action Plan- Make a list of three small little action steps that you can do in order to master your goals. You are going to do these EVERY SINGLE DAY! Once you start checking them off daily, you’ll then find that your self-disciple will be easier to create.
Last but definitely not least... NO ONE is perfect - We are all perfectly imperfect! We all fail. We all want to give up at times, but you gotta keep going!
Make sure that your goals are attainable and not unrealistic. Then fail your way to success.
Like everything else that brings progress, the greatest struggle is always with ourselves.
I have to remind myself of this all-of-the-time! I’m the queen of standing in my own way and I’m my biggest critique!
I hope you enjoyed this post and found some value in it. If you just skimmed it because you don't have time to read it now, be sure to click the podcast link...same info but no reading necessary!
