If you hope to achieve greater degrees of self-discipline, you must have a sharp vision of what you hope to accomplish, just like any goal. You must also have an understanding of what success means to you. If you don’t know where you are going, it’s easy to lose your way or get sidetracked. Remember to prioritize your top 2-3. Having twenty priorities translates to ZERO priorities.
A clear plan outlines each time-bound step you must take to reach your goals. Create a mantra to keep yourself focused. Successful people use this technique to stay on track, emotionally connect to their mission, and establish a clear finish line.
Challenge 1
Write out a plan to achieve your goals. If you plan to wake up early to practice martial arts before school or work, then
how are going to do this? Muhammad Ali used to hate running, but it’s unavoidable for the cardio required in boxing. So, he put his shorts and running right beside his bed, so as soon as he woke up, he put them on and set out the door.
Challenge 2
Choose one thing you want to accomplish every single day and do it every day for a week. See how you feel after that week. Often the act of completing something you set your mind to is motivation enough to continue. E.g., every morning before
you leave for work or school, perform your form just two times. That takes less then 5 minutes but will ingrain the movements into your body. If you do this every day for a week the improvement will be substantial.
PRACTICE DAILY DILIGENCE
We aren’t born with self-discipline; it’s a learned behavior. And just like any other skill you want to master; it requires daily
practice and repetition. It must become habitual. But the effort and focus that self- discipline requires can be draining. As time passes, it can become increasingly difficult to keep your willpower in check. The bigger the temptation or decision, the more challenging it can feel to tackle other tasks that also require self-control.
Written by Kumar Bandyo