Self-discipline refers to a continuous cultivation of fidelity towards the ideal person you hope to become. It is a long term self-directness in all aspects of your life. Many people seek to become more self-disciplined but it is not exactly a walk in the park.
You may look at it as a series of generally positive habits that aim at improving the overall quality of your life. Herein are five effective ways to become more self-disciplined.
1 – Accept Reality As It Is
Accepting things as they are can be very difficult taking into account the emotional nature of human beings. In order to improve any aspect of your life by being disciplined, you first have to accurately acknowledge where you currently stand.
Acceptance will allow you to clarify your goals in life and help to gradually cultivate habits that enable you to achieve them. Additionally, this will allow you to avoid having overly pessimistic or optimistic projections.
2 – Exercise Your Willpower
Willpower is basically your ability to follow through with decisions. It is quite simple; if you do not cultivate a strong will to do things you will not improve anything, even with the most valuable advice.
Willpower will help you create a self-discipline momentum. One of the best ways to exercise your willpower is by focusing on small daily activities. Write down all the tasks you want to complete each day and make sure you follow through regardless of your emotional state.
3 – Identify Your Strong Points
This technique is applied in positive psychology and works wonders in strengthening will power and fostering self-discipline.
You should assess your strengths in areas such as enthusiasm, sympathy, valor, creativity, intelligence, empathy or good will. By focusing on these points, you will be able to channel the right energy when faced with tough decisions.
4 – Practice Thought Stopping
One thing that prevents many people from becoming self-disciplined is prevalence contrasting thoughts. Thought control is a simple yet effective technique.
First determine the thoughts that affect your decision making, then discover the clues that often signal the onset of such thoughts. Once these are identified, you can always say the word stop mentally each time they manifest.
5- Enjoy the Journey
The only way self-discipline is going to be meaningful is if you allow yourself to enjoy it. Many people fail simply because they look at developing self-discipline as a punishing venture.
The key lies in being creative and flexible in your journey to improving self-discipline. A fun way to do this is by creating an incentive system to celebrate all milestones no matter how small.
It is also important to remember to keep a journal in order to monitor your behavior. Details of your daily activities will help you analyze where you stand on a regular basis.
