Not all soulmates are made equal
Important in the quest to build self-discipline and striving boldly towards your goals is the ability to forgive yourself if and when you do slip up.
Don’t wallow in guilt, anger, or frustration. Instead, you should learn from your mistakes, forgive yourself, and keep moving forward.
Sources: (Forbes)
Really disciplined people embrace feedback. If you want to achieve expertise, it is important to engage a coach that will give you honest feedback, welcome or not.
That is not to say you should have a plan B in case you fail to achieve plan A, but rather a plan that helps you deal with obstacles and stay on track for plan A.
We are all human and even the most self-disciplined people will fall off course at one point or another. The crucial thing is how you react when that does happen.
It is important to recognize when you have a coach or mentor whose advice does not help you improve. Then it's time to switch and find one whose does!
It is a good idea to have a contingency plan that details how you will overcome difficult situations that are likely to arise.
A crucial thing to remember when it comes to setting goals is the importance of prioritization. It might help you to consider that having 10 priorities is the same as having none.
Breaking down your goal into bite-size chunks will make it more manageable, and you are more likely to stay on track.
This one perhaps goes without saying, but self-discipline always requires a clear goal and an understanding of how you personally define success.
If you don’t know what you are working towards, it's easy to get distracted and lose your way. Be sure to set that goal early on, and you will find it easier to exercise discipline in working towards it.
It is quite simple really: the fewer distractions you have around you, the more focused you will be on working towards and achieving your goals.
For example, if there is a particular admin task at work that you hate, be sure to put it at the top of your to-do list and tackle it head on when you’re fresh.
The age-old saying “out of sight, out of mind” may seem cavalier, but it does in fact hold true. A great way to improve your self-discipline is to get rid of the things that tempt you the most.
Part of being self-disciplined is acknowledging the things you are bad at and actively working to improve. You cannot overcome your flaws and achieve your goal until you do.
If you want to eat healthier, for example, get rid of all the junk food in your cupboards. If you want to improve your productivity at work, put your cell phone on silent or turn it off.
In addition to having a clear goal, it is important to have a clear execution plan. Try to create one that includes the time-bound steps you need to take to achieve your goal.
If you want to achieve great self-discipline, you must acknowledge your weaknesses as well as your strengths. We all have things we’re good at and things we’re not.
This might be difficult to believe, but there is great power in simply believing you can do something. The athlete who believes he can break a world record is more likely to do so than one who doesn’t!
For example, if you want to get fit but are not in the habit of exercising, start by working out for 10 or 15 minutes a day. Once you have worked this into your routine, you can expand the goal.
The same goes for self-discipline. If you believe that your self-discipline and willpower are limited, you will likely never surpass those limits.
Practicing your self-discipline on a daily basis will help it come more naturally to you and make it easier to resist those more powerful temptations that will inevitably come your way.
It will likely come as little surprise to learn that self-discipline is not a natural human behavior: it is learned. And like with any learned behavior, self-discipline requires practice.
It is a good idea to practice your self-discipline daily as you would any other skill. For example, if you want to improve your productivity, try to work with no cell phone for two hours a day.
You may want to create a mantra to help yourself stay on track and focused. This is a favorite strategy of successful people, as it helps them, among other things, connect emotionally to their mission.
Instead you should persuade yourself that your willpower is unlimited. You will probably grow more, achieve more, and develop more self-discipline than you ever thought possible.
Try to choose a coach or mentor who is unemotional and who will help you understand what you’re doing right while focusing on what you’re doing wrong.
If you are looking to change your habits and lead a more disciplined lifestyle, it is important to recognize that this will not happen in a day.
Having a plan for how you will deal with obstacles allows you to work towards your goal with more confidence, and you will not have to deal with the stress of making a snap decision.
Resist the temptation to try and change everything at once and focus on doing one small thing consistently and in a disciplined way.
It is often said that success is 10% talent and 90% hard work. That may be true, but people often forget that in order to work sufficiently hard, self-discipline is also required. Great self-discipline doesn't come naturally to most people, but it can be learned. And there are things we can actively do to improve our level of self-discipline.
Check out this gallery for some top tips for building self-discipline.
Top tips for building self-discipline
It's key to success, and it can be learned
LIFESTYLE Good habits
It is often said that success is 10% talent and 90% hard work. That may be true, but people often forget that in order to work sufficiently hard, self-discipline is also required. Great self-discipline doesn't come naturally to most people, but it can be learned. And there are things we can actively do to improve our level of self-discipline.
Check out this gallery for some top tips for building self-discipline.