Self-discipline is something many people lack but everyone should strive to have more of. One who is self-disciplined often has a life full of success, happiness, and satisfaction. Not to mention, they’re likely to have more money and better health.
Being self-disciplined doesn’t mean you never have fun It just means that you know the steps you need to take to reach your goals and you’re committed to doing them, even when you prefer not to.
So, how can you become more self-disciplined? Let’s take a look.
To be self-disciplined, you must first have a goal and a plan to reach it. This plan can translate into small daily steps that you need to take daily, weekly or on another timeframe. When take the steps without much thought, it’s because you’ve trained yourself to do it.
Self-discipline includes being aware of temptations or obstacles you may face and knowing how you will avoid or overcome them. For example, if you want to eat better, don’t bring unhealthy foods into your home. If you need to write a paper, go directly to your desk and write it before making other plans.
Another way to become more disciplined is to replace bad habits with good ones. When you first dump the bad habit, it may feel like a void remains. By incorporating a good habit in its place, you fill this void, leaving no room to backslide.
Let’s talk about motivation for a moment. The biggest lie you’ve probably ever heard has to do with waiting for motivation to come to you. Motivation doesn’t come from outside; it comes from within you. The only way to get motivated is just start doing. The more you do, the more motivated you will feel. So, stop waiting and start doing.
If you struggle with self-discipline, it can help to have an accountability partner. If you have a friend or family member who knows your goals and understands your struggle, ask them to help while you create these new habits. You might even find a partner who has similar goals that you can work with.
A great way to stay motivated on your new path is to visually see your progress. Some progress you can easily see, like with weight loss. Other goals may not have a visual representation… but you can create one. Whatever your goal, create a tracking sheet or other visual to help you quickly see and remember your progress as you go about your day.
Becoming more self-disciplined simply means that you do what needs to be done to reach your goals, even when you don’t want to. The easiest way to do this is to create SMART goals that allow you to develop a step-by-step plan of how you are going to reach them. Once that’s done, you simply need to take action on that plan. Before you know it, you’ll have more self-discipline and a lot more happiness.