Do you sometimes feel that almost everyone is successful around you except you – the person at the gym, the vegan-diet-following co-worker, the six-figure salaried cousin? They all seem to have it so good, and you cannot figure out what it is that you don’t have, right?
Have you ever wondered how highly successful people are able to achieve their milestones while others will similar goals can’t? Do these people have some magical powers by birth that we don’t? Do they know the ultimate secret of life? Something’s got to give it, right?
Well, while life would definitely be easier with all these things, what successful people have learned is how to be more disciplined. Discipline is the ability to understand and acknowledge what you have to do and get started with it. In simpler terms, you force yourself to go to the gym at 6 in the morning, start writing that academic report, or get started with the presentation because it is the right thing to do (even if you want to cry from inside).
But let’s be honest, figuring out to be more disciplined is hard. But no one is born with the magical power to push through every day to achieve their goals. The process is challenging, and we can already hear the groans coming from you. But the only difference between you and people who might be successful is they stick with the process, even when the going gets tough.
We know it sounds harsh, but it can honestly be super reliving as a fact. Simply put, it is amazing that those successful people aren’t smarter, faster, or better than you; they have merely figured out how to be more disciplined at what they do. And if you put in the required efforts, you can easily be one of them too.
And lucky for you, once you discover how to be more disciplined, you can apply it to anything – from learning guitar to reducing social media usage, making good habits, and pretty much everything else.
You can do all these things with just one tool – discipline. You don’t need any magical powers, just a little bit (okay, sometimes more, a lot more) effort. To help you get started in the right direction, here are some practical and useful tips on how to be more disciplined in life.
How To Be More Disciplined In Life?
1. Start with small and manageable goals.
Ground zero advice: Do not try to be the most disciplined person on the face of the earth right on day one.
Start by setting small and modest goals at the very first step. And once you feel like you are done with it, gradually move on to the next one. Do this until you feel comfortable with the whole process. Once you have achieved the goal, follow it up on the next day and the following days. Eventually, it will become a habit and will require less effort.
2. Find a way to deal with your procrastination.
There are a million ways to overcome procrastination. You just have to figure out what works for you, which is truly different for everyone. Some people give themselves fake deadlines. Others break the seemingly big task into smaller, more manageable chunks. Some use reward systems. The list is never-ending. It doesn’t matter what strategy or trick you use as long as you have something that works for you.
Read more: How To Stop Procrastination
3. Remove distractions.
If you are easily distracted by social media, can’t stop binge-watching Netflix, or have a spending problem every time you go to the mall — try to remove the temptation and make the process of getting to it difficult.
Most of us tend to rely too much on motivation and willpower and think we can resist any temptation. But trust us; it takes only a moment of temptation to push you toward things you wanted to stop doing in the first place. So if the Internet or social media is your problem, disconnect while working. If you tend to spend too much at the mall, leave your card at home. Little changes like these will help you stay away from your temptations.
4. Self-forgiveness over feeling defeated or guilty.
Figuring out how to be more disciplined is hard, and there will be days when you will not match up to your expectations. You tend to feel frustrated or give up easily when you don’t match your expectations. But beating yourself up for not doing enough isn’t actually going to push you to do better. It is a pretty inefficient process, to be honest.
Instead, try to be gentle and compassionate with yourself. This way, you are more likely to find out the root cause behind why couldn’t you do enough. It will help you analyze how you are feeling, what made you commit actions you didn’t want to, and finally, get back up to start trying one more time. It is actually forgiveness that makes you take accountability for your actions and not guilt.
5. Be honest with what is working for you and what isn’t.
The final tip on how to be more disciplined is to analyze what is working for you and what isn’t. While trying out different strategies, keeping a steady track of your progress and being honest about things with yourself is crucial. You will never make progress if you do not point out what’s not working for you. Yes, admitting something is not working in your favor despite your best efforts is painful and difficult. But it is also the only way to move forward.
Read more: How To Develop Self-Control – 3 Ways To Take Control Of Life
Conclusion:
A good way to end the tips on how to be more disciplined is to let you know that these are not some one-size-fits-all type solutions. So at best, you might have one or two ideas that might work for you. But that’s how the whole process of building discipline works. It can be tough and excruciating at times. However, in the end, it is totally worth it. All you have to do is get started. And trust us when we say you are stronger than you give yourself credit for.
Apart from discipline, another important life skill to develop is decisiveness. The ability to make good decisions can make or break your life. Read to know how to be more decisive here.
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