The Secret to Discipline?
Ever wonder the secret to more discipline? It's something that many of us crave but struggle to achieve consistently. As an entrepreneur, I've faced this challenge myself, especially when it came to waking up earlier each day. So if you're also seeking ways to be more disciplined, I'd like to share some actionable steps that have helped me wake up at 5 am regularly.
The dictionary has discipline as: “the practice of training oneself to adhere to a set of rules, principles, or routines in order to achieve specific goals or desired outcomes.” It's not just about forcing ourselves to do something; it's actually so much more. So many get focus on only seeing things from a micro level and don’t focus on the macro level. Doing something good and consistently can get boring if you just see it for the task that it is. However, if you’re able to zoom out, you see how that compounds and makes up a bigger part of who you are and how you make decisions.
For me, cultivating discipline involved waking up early, but my body and feelings would often resist, tempting me to stay in bed longer. Like most of us, I would let those feeling dictate my actions, but I realized that it led to regret and frustration later in the day.
As I embarked on my discipline journey, I tried various strategies, some of which worked initially, but the novelty eventually wore off. Rather than go into all the things that didn’t work here and example of what my wake-up routine looks like as of this writing:
Alarm goes off, I acknowledged the desire to stay in bed but then I remind myself of all the meaningful activities I'd be giving up if I stay in bed. I bring in the feelings that I will have later for not meditating, journaling, and running. The cherry on top is, I remind myself that all these activities are things my ideal version would do.
With all that information I ask myself this final question. Will I regret it if I keep sleeping, the answer is usually yes. Then I ask myself, will I regret it if wake up now, the answer is usually no. So, I end it with a countdown of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, I get one leg out of bed and don’t lie to myself that it will be easy or enjoyable… but it is a characteristic of the person I aspire to be and moves me one step closer to my goals.
Secrets to build discipline:
1. Define Your Rules: Start by setting clear rules for yourself. Determine what is acceptable and what isn't. For example, you might decide that waking up early five days a week is acceptable, while the weekends can be more relaxed.
2. Design Your Routines: Create daily routines that support your goals. Visualize how your day will unfold, including moments of discipline, and be honest about how you'll feel during those times. Athletes that prepare for the hardships do better than those that only imagine the celebration at the end.
3. Embrace Your Principles: Understand who you want to be and what characteristics that version of yourself would embody. Let your principles guide your actions, not your emotions.
4. Start Small, Stay Consistent: Don't feel pressured to commit to discipline forever. Our brains don’t like to be restricted forever so instead, focus on short-term commitments. Start with just five days a week and reassess afterward.
5. Practice Self-Compassion: Acknowledge that building discipline is challenging. Be gentle with yourself and remember that it's a journey of growth and self-improvement. No one learned to walk on their first try.
6. Find Support: Share your discipline journey with friends, family, or like-minded individuals who can offer encouragement and accountability. It’s so easy for myself to let myself down when I share with others, I find myself following through much more often.
7. Celebrate Progress: Celebrate each step forward, no matter how small. Recognize your achievements and use them as motivation to keep going.
Discipline isn’t just about the action we take it starts with creating a mindset that aligns with the person we aspire to become. It's not about following a rigid set of rules, but rather, zooming out and understanding that these actions define who we are.
The last thing I want to leave you with and a reminder to myself is that discipline is like anything else in life. It has ups and downs. You can have a good week a good month a good day and then have it ereased by some life event. One bad day doesn’t get to define you unless you allow it. The only thing that defines today is you and your actions, not your past. So give yourself grace and don’t let the emotions of the past dictate the actions you take today. Let your vision of yourself dictate the action you take today.
Wishing you a fulfilling and disciplined path ahead.
Creighton
