Step by step approach to building Self Discipline
"If we don't discipline ourselves, the world will do it for us."-William Feather
Most of the people confuse building self discipline with increasing the will power. Willpower is more about inner strength and discipline focuses on external control. Self-discipline is the training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement. Training yourself to be in control of your actions can dramatically change your life.
The first step towards discipline is being accountable for your own shortcomings. It is easy to rationalize undisciplined behaviors in our lives. Blaming outside circumstances, moods, or conditions will ultimately leave you feeling helpless in your attempt to change your habits. The sooner you can take responsibility for errors in discipline the sooner you will be able to turn things around.
Corporate PR representatives understand the value and effect that being responsible may have on the way their company is viewed. Whenever a corporation’s public image is in danger due to negligence on their part, the first statement that the public receives is an acknowledgement of wrong doing and an apology.
Shortly after that, a plan to reverse what has happened is usually put into place. If a car company released a vehicle that has safety issues, there is a mass recall. Then the company devises a plan to ensure that further measures are put into place to avoid a similar incident from happening.
This should be our approach as individuals. Whenever we have a standard that we live by, and we come short of standard, we should first acknowledge the shortcomings and then formulate a plan of action to reverse any damages. From there, we should look to put into place, measures that should prevent those shortcomings from reoccurring. The discipline to stick by those measures will be the key to success.
We need to discipline ourselves on two fronts, personal and professional.
Lets take a look at the personal discipline.
For the most part I am a very disciplined person who has built a reputation among some of my friends as having a large dose of willpower and focus. So how do I fall off the wagon sometimes? I analysed it from different angles and I eventually began to understand why I would stray from my disciplined routine. I began to identify my weaknesses and took action to prevent myself from sabotaging my own goals. One of the major steps I took was the elimination excuses. Now, what, you may ask, are those?
Well, we as a society have gotten very good at accepting excuses as truth. One of the main reasons procrastination is on the rise is due to individuals not being held accountable for their excuses. For example, if you called out from work and you gave the excuse that your kid was sick, it is very unlikely that your employer would follow up to see if you were telling the truth. Instead, you would get a sick leave and when you went back to work someone would ask, “Is your kid feeling better?” We are just as ready to believe the excuses we tell ourselves. Even if we know that they are not completely true, we accept them as truth.
Small lapses in our ability to control that voice in our heads that convinces us to do that thing that we don’t really want to do, result in a lack of control over our cravings, actions, and life. Once you’ve eliminated some of the excuses that have been holding you down, you are ready to tackle your personal problem head-on.
Identify the problem-What is it that you really want to be disciplined in? Do you have a weakness of eating unhealthy foods? Do you watch TV instead of working out? Do you avoid doing errands in your day until it’s too late? Whatever the problem is, narrow it down so that you are clear of where your lack of discipline seems to appear the most in your life.
Remove Distractions-It is Important that you remove those things that inhibit your ability to develop good habits. For example, if you can’t seem to eat unhealthy food when you are at home then remove all unhealthy food from your refrigerator.
Small Steps-Discipline is increased over time. If you begin to make small changes in your routine daily, you will begin to build the discipline muscle over a longer period of time.
Eye on the Prize-Even though you are making small strides towards being more disciplined, it is important that you keep your focus on where you ultimately want to be. Use affirmations to remind yourself of what you would like to accomplish and stay reminded of the negative outcomes that will occur if you do not complete your goal.
Stay Motivated- On the way to becoming self-disciplined, being motivated will give you the extra push you need when you are tempted to fall into your old undisciplined patterns. Building discipline is hard work and that’s why most people don’t have it. But if you can stay motivated enough to make it through the difficult times, you will be one of the few people that have the ability to conquer themselves.
"If we don't discipline ourselves, the world will do it for us."-William Feather
Most of the people confuse building self discipline with increasing the will power. Willpower is more about inner strength and discipline focuses on external control. Self-discipline is the training and control of oneself and one's conduct, usually for personal improvement. Training yourself to be in control of your actions can dramatically change your life.
The first step towards discipline is being accountable for your own shortcomings. It is easy to rationalize undisciplined behaviors in our lives. Blaming outside circumstances, moods, or conditions will ultimately leave you feeling helpless in your attempt to change your habits. The sooner you can take responsibility for errors in discipline the sooner you will be able to turn things around.
Corporate PR representatives understand the value and effect that being responsible may have on the way their company is viewed. Whenever a corporation’s public image is in danger due to negligence on their part, the first statement that the public receives is an acknowledgement of wrong doing and an apology.
Shortly after that, a plan to reverse what has happened is usually put into place. If a car company released a vehicle that has safety issues, there is a mass recall. Then the company devises a plan to ensure that further measures are put into place to avoid a similar incident from happening.
This should be our approach as individuals. Whenever we have a standard that we live by, and we come short of standard, we should first acknowledge the shortcomings and then formulate a plan of action to reverse any damages. From there, we should look to put into place, measures that should prevent those shortcomings from reoccurring. The discipline to stick by those measures will be the key to success.
We need to discipline ourselves on two fronts, personal and professional.
Lets take a look at the personal discipline.
For the most part I am a very disciplined person who has built a reputation among some of my friends as having a large dose of willpower and focus. So how do I fall off the wagon sometimes? I analysed it from different angles and I eventually began to understand why I would stray from my disciplined routine. I began to identify my weaknesses and took action to prevent myself from sabotaging my own goals. One of the major steps I took was the elimination excuses. Now, what, you may ask, are those?
Well, we as a society have gotten very good at accepting excuses as truth. One of the main reasons procrastination is on the rise is due to individuals not being held accountable for their excuses. For example, if you called out from work and you gave the excuse that your kid was sick, it is very unlikely that your employer would follow up to see if you were telling the truth. Instead, you would get a sick leave and when you went back to work someone would ask, “Is your kid feeling better?” We are just as ready to believe the excuses we tell ourselves. Even if we know that they are not completely true, we accept them as truth.
Small lapses in our ability to control that voice in our heads that convinces us to do that thing that we don’t really want to do, result in a lack of control over our cravings, actions, and life. Once you’ve eliminated some of the excuses that have been holding you down, you are ready to tackle your personal problem head-on.
Identify the problem-What is it that you really want to be disciplined in? Do you have a weakness of eating unhealthy foods? Do you watch TV instead of working out? Do you avoid doing errands in your day until it’s too late? Whatever the problem is, narrow it down so that you are clear of where your lack of discipline seems to appear the most in your life.
Remove Distractions-It is Important that you remove those things that inhibit your ability to develop good habits. For example, if you can’t seem to eat unhealthy food when you are at home then remove all unhealthy food from your refrigerator.
Small Steps-Discipline is increased over time. If you begin to make small changes in your routine daily, you will begin to build the discipline muscle over a longer period of time.
Eye on the Prize-Even though you are making small strides towards being more disciplined, it is important that you keep your focus on where you ultimately want to be. Use affirmations to remind yourself of what you would like to accomplish and stay reminded of the negative outcomes that will occur if you do not complete your goal.
Stay Motivated- On the way to becoming self-disciplined, being motivated will give you the extra push you need when you are tempted to fall into your old undisciplined patterns. Building discipline is hard work and that’s why most people don’t have it. But if you can stay motivated enough to make it through the difficult times, you will be one of the few people that have the ability to conquer themselves.
Review -Take the time after each day or week to review what you have done to build your ability to be self-disciplined and note the results of those actions. Do not expect your life to be completely transformed after one day of self-discipline. However, there should be at least a small change that you can note and use as a small encouragement.
“I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.”-Aristotle
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