Self-Discipline; the act of disciplining or power to discipline one’s own feelings, and desires, especially with the intention of improving oneself.
The modern world of today has most of us concentrated on putting food on the table with little regard to improving personal discipline. We may scold our children to not watch as much TV, or to eat more vegetables but how many of us follow our own advice? If you find yourself constantly setting goals only to forget about them a week or so later then you may be in need of some self-discipline. If you are serious about training your brain to align itself with your goals then take heed of the following steps on how to develop Self Discipline.
1. Focus on what motivates you.
Regardless of what your goals are whether they be weight loss, financial stability, or happiness without your motivation (or goals) clearly defined you will never achieve them. Take time to discover what it is you are passionate about and let that be the beacon that lights your way to self-discipline. Realize that without self-discipline you will be unable to attain any of your goals, and is that a live truly worth living?
2. Think of the long term.
Think about your current situation. If you are like the average person you will find problems with your life that have led you to dissatisfaction. Perhaps you are unhappy with your job, or your health. If you don’t make a change today how will you ever improve your life? Contemplate your future and decide what you want it to look like. Doing this can be an eye opening experience and one that helps you realize that changes to both your mental and emotional state are imperative to making long term improvement.
3. Organize your time through scheduling.
Once you have determined what your goals are and your motivation for accomplishing them, you can then turn your attention to scheduling time to work on your self-discipline. In fact, the simple act of scheduling is self-discipline. If gaining more self-discipline is your goal then set aside 30 minutes every day to do something that challenges you and that requires considerable effort. Perhaps simply meditating is difficult for you. If so, devote that time to sit and avoid all thought. Or if food is your weakness why not try waiting an extra hour after you start to feel hungry to eat? Small challenges such as this will increase your self-discipline power.
4. Reward yourself.
This might sound counterintuitive to self-discipline, but in reality it is a vital step in developing self-discipline. Our minds need to know there is a reason for us to struggle. When we reward ourselves we are training our subconscious brain to see the good in self-discipline. The more steps we take towards our goals the less rewards we have to entice ourselves with as we see the finish line within our grasp. Remember to be kind to yourself and that self-torture is not the answer to self-discipline and you will see your goals become reality in no time.
