Self discipline is an important part of being successful in all areas of life, and has been for centuries. Take Nikola Tesla for example; did you know that he made and sold candy when he was just a boy? He would collect money from his customers, but never had enough to pay the store owner! He didn’t have self-discipline at the time. But, when he was taken in by a kindly German family, they taught and developed that self discipline in him.
There are five pillars of self-discipline.
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts. If you don’t control what you think, you can’t control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and act afterward.
“Until you master your thoughts and actions, discipline yourself for their benefit, not our pain.”
A disciplined person will sacrifice what they want now for what they want most. They have a clear vision and purpose that fuels their motivation and guides their behavior. Self discipline helps people stay on track towards their long-term goals. They are able to resist temptations that jeopardize their goals.
Self-discipline allows you to reach your personal and professional goals faster than someone who lacks self control and focus. The discipline also makes life easier in general because tasks become habitual and automatic as opposed to requiring a lot of mental effort.
The result is more time freedom since less time is wasted on procrastination and other bad habits.
1. Acceptance.
When you feel the urge to do something that is not in your long-term interest, you don’t have to give in. You can avoid the temptation by taking a step back and thinking about what would happen if you gave in.
You might think it’s a good idea to give in, but then you realize that it might create a lot of problems for you. So, instead of giving in, you learn to accept the urge as it is and move on with what you want to achieve.
2. Vision.
You must know what you want to achieve and why you want to achieve it. This is the first pillar of self-discipline and the most important. Without a clear vision, you will lack focus and motivation.
A compelling vision gives you the energy and courage to overcome setbacks and continue on your path. Without a compelling vision, you won’t have the motivation to work through obstacles and keep going when things get difficult.
It’s like driving at night with no headlights — you can’t see what’s ahead, so you might as well go back home.
3. Commitment.
Self-discipline is the ability to motivate yourself to complete tasks in a timely manner, regardless of your emotions or external circumstances. It’s a skill that can be learned, and it can benefit anyone in nearly any aspect of their life.
Self-discipline is mainly practiced through five different pillars: commitment, courage, consistency, concentration and competitiveness.
4. Attention control.
Attention control is your ability to focus on one task at a time and ignore distractions. It is at the heart of self-discipline and requires strength and effort every day. Even if you are naturally good at focusing on one thing at a time, maintaining this ability takes work.
In today’s society where we are bombarded with information constantly, it is difficult to find silence. Silence and focus will help you achieve more in life than multitasking or trying to do many things at once.
5. Self-reflection.
Self-reflection is about looking at your own behavior, thoughts and actions to have a better understanding of yourself. By doing this you can figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are as well as help yourself achieve your goals and visions.
There are many ways to go about improving self-reflection, but I will share my own methods with you. As an entrepreneur, there is no doubt that you’ll hit some bumps in the road and it is important to reflect on these moments and learn from them. To improve self-reflection, I suggest setting aside 10 minutes at the end of each day to write 3 things down:
Things that went well today;
Things that could have gone better;
What I learned today.
Conclusion
Self-discipline is a quality that everyone needs no matter what his or her goal is. Self-discipline creates strong motivation and helps us to reach our goals and dreams. No matter what it may be, self-discipline can help you achieve your goals.
Learning about the five pillars of self discipline will change your point of view on life. You will understand how easy it is to achieve anything in life, using self-discipline.
The key to implementing each of the five pillars is consistency. If you’re not consistent with it, you’ll never be successful with it because you’ll never begin. Once you begin though, your progress will snowball and these things becomes second nature rather than something alien that you have to think about every time.
