Making a change to a healthier you can be a challenge. With commitments both professionally and personally we sometimes try and rely on motivation alone. Unfortunately motivation is going to rise and fall on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis. How do we then work toward a healthy balance in our lives? The key is learning and implementing self discipline. Self-discipline is the ability to push yourself forward, stay motivated, and take action, regardless of how you're feeling, physically or emotionally.
Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you work on developing it and using it, the stronger it will become. So how do we develop higher levels of self discipline?
1) Removal of temptations. The out of sight, out of mind technique really does work for a large majority of habits. Developing self discipline is easier in the beginning without temptation or distraction. Over time your self discipline will become strong enough to avoid temptation but initially it is easier to be consistent without distraction.
2) Get comfortable being uncomfortable. The meaning of self discipline is making yourself do something when you could be doing something more pleasant. You gain more discipline if you accept that being productive toward your goals, habits or work is the key to long term pleasure. As the saying in Chinese fortune cookies goes, "Better to have a hen tomorrow than an egg today."
3) Short simple and easy. Start small with your discipline and use that success to keep progression going. For example maybe you want to start eating healthier. Changing your whole day might be too larger a challenge for you. Why not replace your morning snack with fruit. That is short, simple and easy. Be disciplined with that change and look to build from it. Self discipline can be built upon.
4) Set clear intentional goals. Knowing why you are doing something is a really large part of any success. It easier to be intentional with self discipline if we know why we are doing what we are doing.
5) Research behaviour change. Understanding our behaviour change psychology can help you understand why humans do what they do. It will also help you understand why you do what you do. Without self awareness there can be no self improvement.
No matter how high our self discipline is. There are things that make it a lot harder. So to avoid pushing our self discipline to the max; make sure you are sleeping 8 hours per night and drinking 2+L of water per day. Both of these healthy habits will aid your push to a more self-disciplined you.
Self discipline is a learned behaviour. Like anything we can learn to become more self disciplined through regular practice and a growth mindset.
