How much self-discipline do you have? Are you able to control how you respond to new situations or stick to your budget? Or do you let your impulses and the current excitement of the moment take on a life of its own?

See, being able to control your impulses takes willpower, which requires self-discipline. Your ability to practice and nurture yourself takes time to develop. But once you have it, you stay inspired to take the right action and move towards your dreams.

How would self-discipline improve your life?

• There is less anxiety because you can control your reactions. 
• There are fewer distractions because there are self-imposed parameters to help keep you focused and help you achieve your goals.
• You are happier because you see the progress you are making in your life and you recognize that self-discipline is a contributing factor to your growth.
• You are more resilient because you can pivot as circumstances arise and you realize the need for a course correction.
• Learning how to develop your self-discipline skills allows you to deal with bad habits so you can get the right routine in place to change your life for the better.

Look at self-discipline as an investment in yourself to work towards having the life you deserve. One where you accomplish your goals and live the life you create.

Your ability to discipline yourself to set clear goals, and then to work toward them every day, will do more to guarantee your success than any other single factor. -Brian Tracy

Seven Simple Steps To Building Your Self-Discipline

Studies have shown that one of the best indicators of an individual’s success is self-discipline.  Why? Because it transforms into a better work ethic. The more disciplined you are, the better physical and mental habits you have. And with this superpower working for you, your ability to focus on what needs to be accomplished even when you feel uninspired is sustainable.

There are certain approaches you can implement to help you foster self-discipline in your life.  It’s consciously choosing the mindset and employing the right routine for you so you can achieve all you desire.  Then, like any muscle, it needs to be worked regularly to grow. Here are the seven steps I have taken to help me develop my self-control so I could reach my goals and cultivate my personal growth.

1. Change Your Perceptions About Willpower.  Many people believe they have a limited supply of willpower and therefore cannot ever overcome those restrictions.  See, all limitations are self-imposed. Your beliefs determine your success or failure.  If you think you will fail, you will. But if you believe you can do something, then you are determined to figure out a means for accomplishing the goal.

But when you have a growth mindset, you achieve more because you have developed the ability to overcome any obstacles that may appear before you. Understand that your inner views about your willpower influence how disciplined you are. When you change your perception, you can remove the hindrances and give yourself a boost in confidence and inspiration to help you accomplish your objectives.

Don’t ever stop believing in your own personal transformation. It is still happening even on the days you may not realize it or feel like it. ~ Lalah Delia

• Have An Action Plan For Your Goals. You need to have clear and specific goals. Know what accomplishing them looks like for you.  Then you need to visualize how you plan to accomplish them.  Keep in mind, you haven’t done this before, so be flexible so you can pivot when needed as circumstances arise.  Consider what obstacles may occur and options for dealing with them. Remember, it’s better to anticipate potential issues by being proactive than to overreact negatively when unexpected situations happen, and they will.

To help keep you inspired, keep your goals where you can see them every day. You can write them down or make a vision board like I do each year.  Put them in your planner, or as your screen saver on your computer and phone. This visual reminder will encourage you and help you remember why these goals are important to you, especially during rough patches.

Your plan of action needs to break down the ultimate big goal into smaller action steps to keep you productive. Then prioritize the steps and look at what needs to be accomplished first so you can build a strategy to achieve what you desire. By having a plan, procrastination tends not to rear its ugly head because you know what needs to be done.

Success doesn’t just happen.  You have to be intentional about it, and that takes discipline. ~ John C. Maxwell

• Know Your Strengths And Weaknesses.  When you truly know yourself, you can proactively handle those areas in which you have difficulty. When you understand where your weaknesses are, you can have the tools in place to deal with them.

Weaknesses come in two forms: lack of self-control and lacking a certain skill set. As you work towards building your self-discipline, you will gain self-control. But your skill set is unique because you’re not meant to be good at everything you may need to do to accomplish your objectives. So when you have to do something you don’t enjoy or are not good at, you tend to avoid them and the progress towards the goal stagnates.

By knowing and accepting yourself as you are, you can instead look for ways to deal with your weaker areas.  If the task is something you dislike doing, get it done first and out of the way so you can move on to those tasks you do like. If the job is something that is better suited to someone with more talent in that area, then delegate or outsource it. There are ways to overcome those areas where you don’t thrive. Be open to your options.

Self-discipline is nothing but self-consciousness. ~ Pearl Zhu

• Stay Focused On Your Objectives.  The ability to keep your focus in a world full of distractions is about self-awareness. Self-discipline relies on your ability to concentrate on the current task before moving on to the next.  Therefore, you need to implement ways to keep you task-oriented in completing your goals.

Remove those temptations from your work environment that may distract you. Your brain is wired for distractions as an evolutionary means of survival, but if you don’t want to do the work, then you’ll look for ways to divert yourself.

To deal with interruptions, set yourself up for success by creating an idyllic atmosphere for you to focus on the task at hand.  Gather up the items for the project.  Turn off notifications on the computer and cell phone.  Then work in bursts of about forty or fifty minutes, which is the time your brain can truly focus. Then take a few minutes’ break and tackle the next item.

Your diligence in living a disciplined life will help you when you just don’t want to do something and yet you know you need to. So in those times, take a deep breath, count to ten, and tackle the task. Many times, the act of getting started allows you to get into the flow of the work that needs to be done. This enables you to shift your mindset to one that is productive and inspired, which is where willpower plays its part.

The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of the proactive person.  ~ Stephen Covey

• Develop Behaviors To Help Increase Your Discipline. What are some positive, new habits or rituals you can add to your life to cultivate your growth mindset and help you accomplish your goals more easily? I’m not suggesting enormous changes, simple habits that improve your life and move you towards your dreams.

For example, taking care of yourself will allow you to enjoy life when you accomplish your goal. So, eat less sugary foods, drink more water, go to bed fifteen minutes earlier, and take a walk in nature. Start your morning through a grounding ritual like prayer, mediation, journaling, or mantas.

When you implement self-care habits, you increase your energy, your productivity, and your resiliency. Once you have your new routine in place, getting distracted or unfocused becomes easy to handle.

Willpower is what separates us from animals. It’s the capacity to restrain our impulses, resist temptation–do what’s right and good for us in the long run, not what we want to do right now.  ~ Dr. Roy Baumeister, Ph.D.

• Find Your Tribe To Hold You Accountable. When others are watching, you are less likely to give up or skimp on your goal. But more importantly, your tribe will encourage you when unexpected circumstances arise. They will also be those trusted mentors and advisors who can help you find alternatives to those areas you are weak at doing.

As an authentic being of light, you know yourself better than anyone else, and when you come up against something you don’t feel you can handle, your tribe will be there to support you. They will give you a different perspective. Furthermore, they will offer advice, reassurance, and love. 

All you have to do is ask for help. Although many people struggle with this, understand that the ability to ask for help is a sign of strength. It shows others your authenticity, self-awareness, and understanding that you appreciate having them in your life.  Don’t allow the egoic mind to prevent you from the knowledge and viewpoint of others because of shame or pride. 

It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ~ J.K. Rowling  

• Be Compassionate Towards Yourself. Taking a misstep on your journey to accomplishing your goals is to be expected.  You’ve never done this before, and the best teacher is experience. But only if you are a willing student. So forgive yourself when you take a misstep and consciously course-correct.

When you learn from the pivot you took, then failure didn’t occur because a lesson was learned. Feel whatever emotions arise, but be sure to let them go so they don’t keep you stuck instead of moving forward.

By the way, when you misstep, it means you tried, and so many people don’t do that. Therefore, you’re making progress even from the misstep because you now know that plan of action needs improvement. With this new piece of information, your next step will be an enhancement and you’ve grown as a person.

Remember, your ability to forgive yourself stops the egoic mind from using the misstep to keep you stuck. It also allows peace of mind to happen because you let go of the negative self-talk.

We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success. ~ Arianna Huffington

Moving Forward With Self-Discipline

You have talents, skills, and dreams you want to achieve. To do so requires you to hone your self-discipline to focus your abilities and keep you from being distracted.  It’s the mastery of your thoughts. Because once you control what you think, your actions become conscious and intentional.

When you have a plan of action and a routine that grounds you each day, you’ve committed yourself to improve your life.  Because with enough willpower, you can learn and accomplish anything you set your mind to.  Remember, limitations are self-imposed.

Your self-discipline is a muscle that needs exercise because motivation is a force of the egoic mind. It will want gratification now, not later. But the substantial rewards lie on the other side of the tasks needed to accomplish your goal. Inspiration, however, comes from within, and it’s what drives your passion for the dreams you have.

So, commit today to exercise your self-discipline so you can accomplish all you desire tomorrow.  Because self-discipline is the energy that keeps you moving forward, no matter the circumstances. It’s the sign of respect you give yourself and your dreams.

As you become more mindful of your self-discipline and become conscious of increasing your happiness, you can take a walk across the bridge to success and build a life you are proud to live.

My will shall shape my future. Whether I fail or succeed shall be no man’s doing but my own. I am the force; I can clear any obstacle before me or I can be lost in the maze. My choice; my responsibility; win or lose, only I hold the key to my destiny. ~ Elaine Maxwell

Do you need help implementing more self-discipline into your life? Are you looking for support in learning how to create an action plan to accomplish your goals? Do you want a strategy to help you create an extraordinary life? If so, please get in touch with me, and we can put together an action plan for you to exercise your self-discipline as you live the life of your dreams.

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Here Is How To Have the Self-Discipline to Cultivate Growth

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Did you know self-discipline is the best indicator of success? It's the underlying energy force moving you forward despite the situation.

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Terri Kozlowski

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Kozmic Soul Solutions

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