We all understand that a major requirement to succeed in any aspect of life is Self-Discipline. However, only a handful get it right. In the next few articles, my attempt is to demystify this concept and make it easy to implement and adopt in our daily life.
Question – Why is Self-Discipline so hard?
Answer – Self Discipline means different things to different people.
1. For some, creating unrealistic goals and then forcing themselves to follow these goals is “Self-Discipline”
2. For some, the idea of sticking to a stretched schedule that tests their willpower is “Self-Discipline”.
3. For some, the idea of self-denial to life’s pleasures is “Self-Discipline”.
Most people associate self-discipline in terms of willpower. So, if we see someone getting up early, exercising hard, eating healthy food, keeping fit, practicing good habits, and living a good life, we immediately associate them with being strong-willed.
It is therefore assumed that strong willpower is a pre-requisite for Self-Discipline and people who have not been able to demonstrate willpower in the past excuse themselves from working on this very important foundation to success and stay complacent in their mediocrity!
However, the truth is very different.
Mostly Self-Discipline has only been associated with feelings of torture, pain, discomfort, difficulty, and so on. Now, if doing something is going to cause all of these feelings in you, would you want to do it.
The answer is a very big “NO”.
No wonder 99% of the people are terrified of Self-Discipline and any attempt only lasts a couple of days.
Then, why and how do some people succeed and the answer is very simple!
Well, if you observe these people, you will notice something very frightening about them. which is that they actually ENJOY and LOVE doing these things. They enjoy the results of working on themselves or creating a life that they have always wanted irrespective of what it takes to get there!
So is it possible for anyone to get Self-Disciplined and my answer to that is an emphatic “YES”!
We will continue to elaborate on this topic over the next few weeks and find some easy ways to inculcate discipline into our lives. Therefore, keep reading!
What is your version of Self-Discipline? How successful have you been in your attempts to discipline yourself and what has worked for you?
Please share your comments with me below.
I help leaders find joy & purpose @ work by building a Winner’s Mindset, Financial Freedom and Job Satisfaction!