You know them.
They are the people who get up early each day and hit the ground running.
They accomplish more by noon than you do in a day.
They are driven. Successful.
You can’t help but wonder: What do they have that I don’t?
The answer: they’ve cultivated the habits of self-discipline.
The good news is these habits can easily be yours. It’s all a matter of being willing to put the effort in, and then following through to repeat these actions day after day until they become automatic.
1. They Take Bite-sized Action Steps
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
When the goal is big, it looks daunting. It’s hard to stay disciplined when you’re already defeated by the size of the task.
Break down your goal into smaller pieces and watch the magic happen.
2. They Treat Their Body As A Temple
Whether you’re spiritual or not, your body deserves to be treated like a temple.
You can’t possibly practice good self-discipline techniques when you’re sabotaging yourself through fatigue, hunger, thirst, or stress.
In order to work at peak performance, you need to take care of your health.
This can include eating right, making sure you stay hydrated (this is especially important if you’re working from home and forget to take breaks!), get adequate sleep, and exercise.
It seems like a no-brainer, but when you get ‘zoned in’ to working hard on a project it can be easy to forget these basics.
Keeping yourself in top condition means you’re ready to take on the next task.
3. They See Opportunities To Thrive
They are forward-thinking and optimistic. They see always look for possibilities and opportunities in everything.
The moment you start limiting yourself, you have already failed.
If you start thinking willpower is in short supply or that you have no self-discipline, it becomes impossible to succeed.
Instead, change the narrative. Tell yourself it is possible to change. You do have self-discipline. That there’s plenty of willpower to go around.
You’ll find yourself capable of more than you ever dreamed possible.
4. They Don’t Let Themselves Get Tempted
Rather than worry about temptation, they simply cut it out of their lives.
Getting distracted by e-mails coming in? Close that Gmail tab you have open taking your attention away from the task at hand.
Hearing your phone ding and buzz with people texting you? Put it on silent and respond to them later.
Wanting to get work done, but social media is a constant temptation? Unplug the router and turn off your phone.
Sometimes you have to get harsh with yourself if you want to succeed. By taking out what would take you down, you avoid the problem entirely.
5. They Do What It Takes
Success comes with the follow-through.
Self-discipline happens when you resolve to fight to the finish. When you’ve settled things in your mind that you’re in this until the end, you’ll find yourself much better prepared to do just that.
By following these habits, your life will start changing very quickly for the better. Soon you will be one of those highly self-disciplined people you used to admire.
