Motivational speaker, Jim Rohn once said, that self-discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment… and that’s exactly what it is. No matter what goal you wish to achieve, you WILL need some degree of self-discipline.
Very often, self-discipline will mean doing what you need to do even if you don’t feel like it. While motivation can get you started, after a while, it will dissipate and the pursuit of your goals will come down to a daily grind.
You will need to do what you dislike. There will be times when you need to make sacrifices that are necessary. This is all par for the course and if you have self-discipline you’ll stay on track because you know that if you don’t sacrifice for what you want, then what you want will become the sacrifice.
So, how do you build this immensely difficult habit?
-
You start with small daily disciplines.
The reason most people fail is because they try to do too much too soon. They want fast results without realizing that breaking all your bad habits and replacing them with new and better ones is a Herculean effort and should be approached gradually.
Changing your diet slowly is easy. Working out at the gym for short sessions is easy. Trying to overhaul your diet overnight is a nightmare. The same applies to exercising hard or working longer on your business.
You have to take the slow approach. As your body and mind gets conditioned to the new habits, it will become easier to make more positive changes. This is how self-discipline is built.
Like they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day… but they were laying bricks every hour. Similarly, your self-discipline will be built with small steps and as you gain confidence and believe in yourself, you’ll do better. It’s all about keeping the small promises to yourself.
-
Resistance.
Another point to note is that no matter how small the positive change may be, you’ll still meet some resistance. That’s just the way it is. You’ll be outside your comfort zone and while it may not be unbearable, it might not be pleasant either.
For example, if you drink a soda every night, you might decide to replace it with water. As simple as this action may be, you’ll still crave the sugar from the soda, but it will be manageable.
However, if you suddenly cut out all sugar from your diet, the sugar cravings will be so strong that you just might end up binge eating at night and drinking more soda than you would have in the first place.
So, take the slow and steady approach.
-
Daily Routine and Plan.
It will also help to have a daily routine and a plan to follow. This will keep you on track and you can track your progress and disciplines. It’s a good idea to read your list of goals daily so that you remember why they matter and what you’re sacrificing for.
When the why is clear, the how becomes easy… or at least slightly easier. Follow the tips in this article until you have self-discipline that’s forged of Bethlehem steel. Once you do what you need to most of the time, success will be yours in any endeavor you choose.
“With self-discipline, all things are possible.” – Theodore Roosevelt