Self Discipline

No personal success, achievement, or goal, can be realized without self-discipline. It is singularly the most important attribute needed to achieve any type of personal and professional excellence. Self-discipline is the ability to get yourself to take action regardless of your emotional state.

Imagine what you could accomplish if you could simply get yourself to follow through on your best intentions no matter what. The pinnacle of self-discipline is when you reach the point that when you make a conscious decision, it’s virtually guaranteed you will follow through on it.

Self-discipline is one of many personal development tools available to each one of us. The problems which self-discipline can solve are important, and while there are other ways to solve these problems, self-discipline absolutely shreds the problem. Self-discipline can empower you to overcome any addiction or lose any amount of weight. It can wipe out procrastination, disorder, and ignorance. Within the domain of problems it can solve, self-discipline is simply unmatched. Moreover, it becomes a powerful teammate when combined with other tools like passion, goal-setting, and planning.

What is Self-discipline?

It is the ability to control one's impulses, emotions, desires and behavior. It is being able to turn down immediate pleasure and instant gratification in favor of gaining the long-term satisfaction and fulfillment from achieving higher and more meaningful goals.

To possess it is to be able to make the decisions and take the actions, and execute your game plan regardless of the obstacles, discomfort, or difficulties that may come your way. 

Certainly, being disciplined does not mean living a limiting or a restrictive lifestyle. Nor, does it mean giving up everything you enjoy, or, to relinquish fun and relaxation. It does mean learning how to focus your mind and energies on your goals and persevere until they are accomplished. It also means cultivating a mindset whereby you are ruled by your deliberate choices rather than by your emotions, bad habits, or the sway of others. Self-discipline allows you to reach your goals in a reasonable time frame and to live a more orderly and satisfying life.  

Celebrities have never been more visible in our culture. Famous sportspeople, wonderful actors, and musicians are all over the media. While they are naturally talented, but what we don't see are the thousands of hours of super-focused work these people have put in behind the scenes. Sure, there is such a thing as natural talent but:  

1.       Natural talent counts for little unless it's supercharged by self-discipline.

2.       Self-discipline can, to some extent, overcome lack of natural talent.

Exercising self-discipline can make the difference between an averagely talented person doing something amazing with their lives and a naturally talented person realizing very little of their potential. It's easy to feel that success comes easily; that it's just a question of self-belief. But anyone who has achieved anything has done so because they've been able to control and direct their own inner lives and actions to the extent that has enabled them to become super-able at what they do.

Life isn't some waiting room in which to 'kill time' with repetitive self-amusements. Self-discipline, like a muscle, can be developed. If we were raised in a disciplined environment, we may find it easier to be self-disciplined, but we can all develop more.

How to develop Self Discipline?

Start with small steps: No process takes place overnight. Just as it takes time to build muscle, so does self-discipline. The more you train and build it, the stronger you become. In exercise, if you try to do too much at once, you could injure yourself and have a setback. Likewise, take it one step at a time in building self-discipline. So, begin by making the decision to go forward and learning what it takes to get there. Learning self-discipline in the little things of life prepares the way for big successes. On the other hand, those who are undisciplined in small matters will likely be undisciplined in more important issues. Small daily steps over time leads to giant successes.

Get yourself organized: Make a schedule, however detailed or general you are comfortable with, and stick to it. Have a to-do list of things you need to accomplish. Using a daily planning book or a personal information manager program on your computer or your smart phone would be helpful. But get organized, even if all you do is jot down appointments and to-do items on a piece of scrap paper. The simple reality is that if you don't control your time, everything (and everyone) else will.

Learn what motivates you and what pulls you down:  You can begin by learning about yourself! Sometimes it is very difficult to fight off urges and cravings, so know the areas where your resistance is low and how to avoid those situations.  If you know you cannot resist cake, fries, or other temptations - stay away from them. Do not have them around to lure you in moments of weakness.  If you also know that putting pressure on yourself does not work for you, then set yourself up in an environment that encourages the building of self-discipline rather than one that sabotages it. Remove the temptations and surround yourself with soothing and encouraging items such as motivating slogans and pictures of what you want to achieve. 

Learn also what energizes and motivates you. Your willpower can go up and down with your energy levels so play energetic music to perk you up, move around, laugh, go for a walk in the nature. Train yourself to enjoy what you are doing by being energized. This will make it easier to implement desirable and appropriate behaviors into your routine - which is really what self-discipline is all about. 

Make certain behaviors a routine: Once you have decided what is important to you and which goals to strive for, establish a daily routine that will help you achieve them. For example, if you want to eat healthily or lose weight; resolve to eat several servings of fruits and vegetables each day and exercise for at least half an hour. Make it part of your daily routine and part of your self-discipline building. Likewise, get rid of some of your bad, self-defeating habits, whatever they may be. They can put you in a negative frame of mind and hinder your self-discipline. A poor attitude can also be a bad habit.  If you start something, finish it. Therein lies an important key to developing self-discipline.

When you have free time, do things that are productive instead of merely entertaining. Read a good book, listen to music, take a walk, or have conversation with someone. In other words, learn to entertain yourself with things that are challenging, stimulating, and creative. Things that are of no value except to entertain you make a very small contribution to your well-being.

Practice self-denial: Learn to say no to some of your feelings, impulses and urges. Train yourself to do what you know to be right, even if you do not feel like doing it. Skip dessert some evenings. Limit your TV watching. Resist the urge to yell at someone who has irritated you. Stop and think before you act. Think about consequences. When you practice self-restraint it helps you develop the habit of keeping other things under control. Be honest with yourself. Honesty can be hard to take. Harder, in fact, than actually doing the thing you're trying to avoid. Stop mistaking excuses for credible reasons.

Remember the words of Abraham J. Heschel:“ Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself”

Other people can exert an immensely negative effect, if we let them. Don't let them. Don't let words or even negative facial expressions deter you. Seek the advice of experts by all means and learn from the best, but never accept negativity from people who haven't themselves achieved what it is you are set upon achieving. If people say what you plan is not possible or sneer at your efforts, don't be deterred by this; rather, use it to fire your energy and strength. Proving others wrong is a greatly underrated pleasure.

Engage in sports or physical activities: Sports are an excellent way to enhance self- discipline. They train you to set goals, focus your mental and emotional energies, become physically fit, and to get along well with others.  Participating in sports provides a situation where you learn to work hard and strive to do your best, which in turn, teaches you to integrate the same the thought processes and disciplines into your everyday life. Similarly running is also an excellent way to enhance self-discipline. It trains your body and makes you physically fit and build endurance.

Learning to play a musical instrument can be another great way to practice self-discipline. The focus, repetition, and application required in learning to play an instrument is invaluable. Achieving self-discipline in any one area of your life reprograms your mind to choose what is right, rather than what is easy.

Get inspiration from those you admire: Sachin Tendulkar has always maintained that his greatness as a cricket player came as much from his willingness to work hard at his craft, as it did his talent. It was his desire through discipline and focus that made him one of the world’s greatest cricket player ever. If it worked for him, it could certainly work for the rest of us. 

Visualize the rewards: There is nothing more gratifying than accomplishing your goals. Practice the technique that high achievers and top performers do. Project yourself in the future. Visualize your desired goal. Feel how rewarding it is and the countless benefits you will enjoy. Remind yourself what it takes to get there. 

If we are to be masters of our own destiny, we must develop self-discipline and self-control. By focusing on long-term benefits instead of short-term discomfort, we can encourage ourselves to develop of self-discipline. Ultimately our health and happiness depend on it. Self-discipline is the fuel that gets you places. The happy by-products of discipline are success, self-respect, and improved physical and mental health.

                                 

Sources : Learnings from Robin Sharma, Darren Hardy, Brahmarishi Shri Guruvanand ji Swamy, Grant Cardone