By The cutlery looks more scared of you than you are of them…
It seems like some people can do it all, and have everything in their life together. They have a large family, run marathons, have a great body, job and relationship. It seems like everything they touch turns to gold. Do you know someone like this?
This person may be the envy of your eyes, and you probably wonder why they have it all. Well, why can’t you have the same things? What they do have that you probably don’t is self-discipline, mixed in with a lot of self-belief. Yes, you can actually have this as well, by applying some procedures to put you on the pathway of success, in anything your heart desires. Below are 4 key lessons that you should apply to exercise your self-discipline muscle.
4 easy methods to build self-discipline for life.
- It’s all in the small things. When you first start building that discipline muscle, I urge you to start with one thing at a time and build from there. When you try to overload yourself by changing too much, far too soon, it becomes somewhat overwhelming. When we experience overwhelm, it eats away at our self confidence, and lowers our chance for success. It just all seems too hard and we give up before even starting.
Example:
Smaller goal: If I want to start exercising, I first decide what you like doing the most, and sign up at a gym, start on those classes, and perhaps get a trainer to show you what to do in the gym.
When that is done, begin to change eating habits. Start prepping meals, and begin to eat better. After a while, take my lunch to work, and go for walks at lunch time. You can choose to flip this around and start with eating. Do whatever works for you.See how this works on one thing, and in time, moves onto another.
Bigger goal: If my goal is to build muscle (which it is in fact) Then I would start compiling the foods and amounts I need to eat and when. Next comes the program, and what I want to work on the most. Followed by how much cardio to do and incidental exercise. Lastly, we must test what we are doing by getting a scan. If the results are negative, we change our diet, if they are positive, we keep going and either change our training slightly, or eat a bit more. Break it down into bite size pieces, starting with the goal, then moving onto the other elements required to achieve it.
- Try Mel Robins 5 second rule method. I love this a lot! Mel is on the ball here with this point of action. What Mel specifies with this theory, is that we need to get out there and push ourselves to do something as fast as it comes into our head, before we start taking ourselves out of it. The rule is that when you have to do something, like go to the gym on a cold morning, she counts backward from 5, and then on 1 she shoots out of bed and gets herself into the gym gear. Now she’s ready to go and start her day with a session as planned. You can basically use this method with anything, from making a phone call, to asking a question in class, or talking to someone you like (but feel shy to). Use the 5 second rule to count down, and when it ends, off you go doing that thing you fear at the time. Keep pushing yourself to get those meals prepared, make those gym sessions, and make a conscious effort to lead a healthy lifestyle for life.
- Patience and delayed gratification. Patience is a key aspect for achieving any goals, especially when it comes to weight loss. Results do not happen overnight, and they will be sporadic, and perhaps drive you up the wall. The problem is we want it all to happen right now, instantly. When things don’t go our way, we give up. Out goes the self-discipline!
This is where instant gratification comes in. When you sacrifice long term goals, for short term gain. This is also when we cheat on ourselves by eating badly or not exercising
This is a tough one to quieten down, but you can do it! The trick is to grab all that willpower and fighting spirit you have within you, and say ‘F&%K this, nothing is going to stop me’ and really mean it guys! Give this gift of self love to yourself, and breakthrough the barrier or instant gratification, by focusing on what you want. Once you just push through this phase, it will get a lot easier to stick with your goals. Never give up!
- Make a vision board. This has been most helpful for me. I find pictures of what I want to look like, and the exercises I want to master. Then I make a board of all the images, with affirmations and quotes. I stick that on my study wall, where I can see it day and night. The picture never leaves my conscious mind. Unconsciously, I will therefore trigger myself into making these happen on a daily basis. I cannot explain how this comes about, but what I do know is that when you set a positive intention, with loving and gracious feelings, moving on towards taking the necessary actions, magic happens. Energy flows where the mind goes. I choose to focus my mind daily on the things I want to achieve. Cut yourself from negativity and debilitating thoughts. Become your own hero and best friend.