SELF DISCIPLINE

Self-discipline is one of the most important and useful skills everyone should possess. This
skill is essential in every area of life, and though most people acknowledge its importance,
very few do something to strengthen it.Contrary to common belief, self-discipline does not
mean being harsh toward oneself, or living a limited, restrictive lifestyle. Self-discipline
means self-control, which is a sign of inner strength and control of actions, and
reactions.Self- discipline gives you the power to stick to decisions and follow them through,
without changing your mind, and is therefore, one of the important requirements for
achieving goals.At the heart of any successful person, is self-discipline. Whether it’s success
in their personal lives or their professional lives, it all starts with an inherent ability for self-
control through discipline. Your thoughts.Your emotions.Your behaviors.And your habits. All
of them must be kept in check.

Referring to our ability to succeed in life at any endeavor, Aristotle once said, “Good habits
formed at youth make all the difference.” Those good habits can’t be formed without having a
handle on our ability to discipline our actions and behaviors.

What successful people have come to understand is that discipline is the gateway to the
achievement of their goals. They learned how to use discipline in their lives to achieve their
dreams. They leveraged the art of self-discipline by creating a foundational set of good habits
that helped them to see things through.

The possession of this skill enables one to persevere with decisions and plans until they are
accomplished. It also manifests as inner strength, helping you to overcome addictions,
procrastination and laziness, and to follow through with whatever you do.Self-discipline is
one of the important ingredients of success. It expresses itself in a variety of ways:

Perseverance. - The ability not to give up, despite failure and setbacks. Trying over and
again, until you accomplish what you set out to do.

Self-control. - The ability to resist distractions or temptations.

Life puts challenges and problems on the path to success and achievement, and in order to
rise above them, you have to act with perseverance and persistence, and this of course,
requires self-discipline.The possession of this skill leads to self-confidence and self esteem,
and consequently, to happiness and satisfaction.On the other hand, lack of self discipline
leads to failure, loss, health and relationships' problems, obesity, and to other problems.This
skill is also useful for overcoming eating disorders, addictions, smoking, drinking and
negative habits. You also need it to make yourself sit and study, exercise your body, develop
new skills, and for self improvement, spiritual growth and meditation.

Most people acknowledge the importance and benefits of self discipline, but very few take
real steps to develop and strengthen it.
Habits: The Pathway to Self-Discipline

Since 40% of our behavior is habit-driven, if you want to control your ability to be self-
disciplined, you have to control your habits.

Considering that so much of what we do on a daily basis is habit-driven, developing the right
habits will help to instill the right amount of discipline into our lives.

But where do habits come from and how are they developed? And why is that when we try to
change our habits by either breaking bad habits or building good habits, we only follow
through for so long before we give up and revert to our old ways?

The biggest problem, especially with habits that we’ve had for years and even decades, are
the neural pathways that have been etched in our brains. Neural pathways help to link up
neural networks to perform a particular function such as walking up the stairs, smoking a
cigarette, or preparing a cup of coffee in a certain way.

Neural pathways help to automate behavior that’s constantly repeated in an effort to reduce
conscious-processing power in the mind. This allows the mind to focus on other things that
might be going on. This stems from our early days as humans, and is part of our genetic
makeup, allowing for a more efficient mind that can be used towards many other things rather
than the mundane.

However, it’s the supposed mundane behaviors that are repeated, which work to hold us back
in most cases. We tend to have more bad habits that are detrimental to our lives than good
habits that help to move us forward. Considering that those neural pathways get etched
deeper and deeper over time, it becomes harder and harder to break bad habits or make even
to form good ones when the bad ones get in the way.But, if you can instill the following
habits into your life, you’ll find that disciplining yourself becomes far easier. It won’t happen
overnight. Remember that habits take time to form and to break. But, if you start small, and
build, you won’t be wondering how you can discipline yourself any longer, since you’ll
embody the particular habits that promote self discipline in life.

Self Discipline Benefits and Importance

Self-discipline helps you:

 Avoid acting rashly and on impulse.

 Fulfill promises you make to yourself and to others.
 Overcome laziness and procrastination.
 Continue working on a project, even after the initial rush of enthusiasm has faded
away.
 Go to the gym, walk or swim, even if your mind tells you to stay at home and watch
TV.
 Continue working on your diet, and resisting the temptation of eating fattening foods.
 Wake up early in the morning.
 Overcome the habit of watching too much TV.
 Start reading a book, and read it to the last page.
  Meditate regularly.

Self discipline can be strengthened, if one:

 Understands its importance in your life.

 Becomes aware of your undisciplined behavior and its consequences. When this
awareness increases, you will be more convinced of the need to make a change in
your life.
 Makes the effort to act and behave according to the decisions you make, regardless of
laziness, the tendency to procrastinate, or the desire to give up and stop what you are
doing.

10 Characteristics of Self-Disciplined Achievers

In order to achieve the same results the "disciple" must get to know the achiever's thinking, his attitudes and

actions well enough to duplicate them. Role models provide the inspiration, style, example, and strategy for

successful accomplishment. Based upon studies of hundreds of successful achievers, here are 10 proven

characteristics of a self-disciplined achiever.

1. A STRONG SENSE OF PURPOSE - You must know exactly where you want to go, where you are going, and

the strong commitment to take the necessary steps toward that destination. You will let nothing slow you, stop

you, or change your direction.

2. SEEKS OUT POSITIVE MENTORS - Inspirational role models provide examples of hard work and consistent

effort (paying the price) to achieve the desired objective. They can also provide assistance and encouragement

during the process for the disciple. Call on them for advice and inspiration. Once you have achieved some

success, become a role model for someone else. You will probably learn as much as they do in the process.

3. A SENSORY RICH VISION (IMAGINATION) - You don't see things as they are and asking 'why', but you

visualizing things as they can be and ask 'why not'. You visualize the outcome, and what will the accomplishment

of the goal will look like. You may find it easier to visualize your goals if you cut the pictures out of magazines and

post them on a poster board in front of your desk. Seeing them daily will encourage and help motivate you.

4. POSITIVE SENSORY ORIENTATION - Failure is NOT an option, and NOT a recognizable experience. Your

past "failures" only become an excuse not to try again. You need to focus on a positive assurance that sees

everything being done as movement toward the goal. If you can see it, it will be true for your mind, and you will

accomplish it. Your mind doesn't know the difference between visualization and reality. That's why your dreams at

night seem so real.

5. BELIEF IN GOD & SELF - You need to have a confidence in God, yourself, and your inborn (God-given) "can

do" belief that seeks to find ways any given task can be accomplished. If you believe you can do it, it will be only

a matter of time before it is done. If you feel you can't do it on your own, ask for help.

Friends, family, colleges, and prayer have always worked for me.
6. ABILITY TO PLAN & ORGANIZE - Have your priorities established. See your goals not as just to earn money,

but what you want to do with that money. Take a methodical approach by breaking it down into a step-by-step

process, with a detailed game plan. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!! Check you progress

regularly to ensure you are on track.

7. ABILITY TO ACQUIRE LEARNING & NECESSARY SKILLS - You must have a commitment to become

educated (equipped) with the necessary knowledge and applications as it relates to the accomplishment of the

goal. Your education and experience will never stop. Continue to get more knowledge daily. Take 30-60 minutes

everyday out of your schedule for self improvement.

8. KNOWS THE VIRTUE OF PATIENCE - Don't be intimidated by time. Realizes that time is immaterial, not an

enemy, but an ally, a friend. Getting to your goals is more than half the fun of it! Enjoy the process of success and

setbacks. Learn from each of them. Take time to enjoy your small achievements. This will go a long way to

sustaining you over the long run and assist you in achieving your goals.

9. PERSISTENCE - Perseverance! Do not give up in the face of persecution or setbacks. You need to develop a

stick-to-it-iveness in spite of rejection or negative opinions. Be relentless in pursuit of the goal. Have a dogged

determination in spite of all odds.

10. SENSE OF PLEASURE / PLAY IN RELATION TO WORK - Be genuinely excited by your goals. Be interested

in learning. Have a main source of pleasure on the journey to the goals, with appropriate rewards for reaching

certain milepost along the way. It's got to have the element of fun to give it significance and lasting meaning.

Don't take yourself too seriously. You will wear yourself out too quickly. Remember this is a change for a lifetime.

For self-disciplined achievers visit

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9tAzJtYqEE