What is self discipline?
Self Discipline is having the ability to hold yourself up high and push forward whilst remaining motivated. You take action regardless of the situations you might find yourself in.
Why do people lack self discipline?
The lack of self discipline comes from having a weak state of mind. You give in to the face of temptation if you do not have self discipline. If you do not set goals and have any aspirations in life then you will find yourself drifting. Self discipline is not something people are born with, nor gifted by 'God' with. This is simply learned over time.
People have a narrow view of their future. We do not push ourselves towards a future of uncertainty. This is why we must find a goal and strive towards it, otherwise, we float around like a plastic bag... or whatever Katy Perry sang.
How do we learn self discipline?
Self discipline is like a muscle. The more you work on it and develop it, the stronger it will become.
You will need to set goals. These goals cannot be too ambitious to begin with as we must focus on accomplishing them then setting the bar higher as we go along. Increasing the challenge gradually so we can stay motivated and focused.
Goal setting can be tricky to start out doing but this is why I recommend that we follow a framework with goals called SMART. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time specific. Here is an example of a SMART goal. "By next Tuesday, I would have completed my 1500 word essay at a grade B level."
Now you have your goals set you need to find motivation.
Motivation is key to achieving what it is you need to achieve. Say you would like to loose weight, you want to identify why. What is it that pushes you to keep going? Is it because you would like to have more energy to run around and do the things you want to do? Is it because you want to follow your doctor's advice? Whatever it is, identify the motivating factor and stick with it. This way you are much more likely to stick with goals and become self disciplined.
Visualising your goals
Visualisation is the practice of imagining the goals you have set out and how it would look like once they have been achieved. This could be sitting back, closing your eyes and imaging that you are finally living in the house of your dreams, in a job you want and having the items you dreamt of. It could look like anything you imagined. The importance of visualising in self discipline is that it keeps you on track with your goals. It is a motivating factor to reaching your full potential.
Unlearn unhelpful habits
When wanting to achieve self discipline we find ourselves unlearning habits which we stuck with for years as they had slowed us down and kept us from staying on track with our goals. A key to stop us from going back to our old, unhelpful habits is to learn new, rewarding ones. We must also identify our triggers with the old habit which left us unrewarded. We need to figure out what made us carry out the habit. Was it because you were anxious or felt tired? Whatever the reasoning was, finding a better habit to fulfil this feeling which will leave you rewarded at the end would be much better.
The benefits of self discipline
- You achieve your long term goals
- You have a better state of mind ( mental health improves)
- You will feel much more accomplished and happier
- You will become resilient
- You will gain more skills
Self discipline is a journey of ups and downs but it is a rewarding one at the end. You must persevere no matter the challenge and have great determination. Have genuine faith in yourself and nothing will break you down.
When will you begin your journey?
What have you achieved so far?
As always I will leave off on a quote.
"Motivation gets you going but discipline keeps you growing." - John C Maxwell
Best Wishes,
Lucy Lu x