7 Easy Ways I Became More Self Disciplined
““Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.””
I have always desired to cross that metaphorical bridge… In anything I have decided to do.
I do it for an outcome.
I want my life to mean something and I believe that meaning comes through pursuing my potential and adding value to others life.
When I played rugby, I wanted to do it for a living.
When I started Ultra running, I wanted to do the hardest
When I started TMTCP, I wanted to impact 1000's of men and make over $1million per year
When I married Amy, I wanted to be the best husband
Ultimately I want to provide for my family, build a great life's resume & pursue my interests.
Over the years I have set 100s of goals. Many I set because they sounded cool… I never really thought about what was required to achieve it.
I lacked vision, patience, planning and skills.
I failed time and time again.
I had plenty of doubt, for the most part I didn't believe in myself… but I am stubborn.
I had people in my life say "if you focused on one thing, you would probably do really well".
I remember thinking "I'll show you!"
I wasn't ready to hear their advice. I needed to figure this out on my own.
The more I failed. The more I added to my plate. I believed I was failing because there was something I WASN'T doing, or something I didn't know.
Soon enough my daily to do list was so long, I didn't have anytime to stop.
The drive to achieve my goals and build a great life dragged me through, but I wasn't happy.
I was 28, I couldn't provide, I was unhappy & frustrated.
Why wasn't it working? Why wasn't I achieving my goals.
In this newsletter. I am going to share with you what I learnt and the life changing realisation I had.
Many people set similar goals. I have coached plenty who have achieved success and spoken with even more who haven't.
Over the years from my own experiences and the thousands of conversations & coaching sessions I have had. My self discipline has improved.
I used to think it was something you were either born with or without.
I have come to realise I was wrong.
The art of discipline is more than just discipline itself.
Discipline is finite, like most things.
Discipline must be focused for it to work.
Many people beat themself up about not being disciplined. I did.
We are told we need discipline to be successful and if we don't have it we are screwed.
The truth is… everyone has it. They just aren't focused.
If you lack discipline with doing what is required to get in shape… I would suggest you are disciplined in doing the wrong things.
The biggest breakthrough I had was realising it's not about adding more.
I didn't need the new morning routine.
I didn't need to get up at 5 am
I didn't need to work 14 hour day.
I needed what those messages really represented… FOCUS
Focus is giving undivided attention the to task at hand.
My discipline skyrocketed when I focused.
I didn't need to add - I needed to subtract.
I had so many things I thought I needed to do that I lacked clarity.
When you lack clarity, it's hard to focus and when you don't have a focus it's hard to know what you should be doing.
That is why discipline is more than doing what you said you would.
I will give you my 7 easy steps to improve self discipline.
But first. If you want to really improve this. Please create a life's vision.
This is key. Everything works back from here. You will have huge clarity. This makes it easier for you to set goals, develop the right skills and FOCUS.
It's often overlooked.
But if you are sick of living a mediocre and anxious life. Do that.
You can do it through my Self Discovery Course
My 7 Easy Steps to Improve Self Discipline are:
1. Declutter
Review how you are spending your time and list out all of the things you are doing. Warren Buffet has a method where he would list out 25 things he needed to do, then circle the top 5. The goal than became to avoid the 20 things that weren't circled until he completed the top 5.
When you have less to focus on. It is easier to be disciplined.
I break my day into 3 sections:
Me
Them
Work
I keep 1 goal for each and focus until that is complete. I find it easy to be disciplined on fewer things.
2. Start Small
Discipline is a skill and requires you to build confidence in your ability.
Find a small task to focus on to build that muscle and prove to yourself you can be disciplined on the right things. This is why the famous task is make your bed in the morning.
You could also do 10 push ups, write for 10 minutes or unpack the dishwasher. There are plenty of small wins you can get.
3. Remove friction.
My podcast studio is something I had to build. I release 2 episodes a week. Before I had a studio, It was a friction point to record. Knowing I had to set up a studio made it harder for me to want to do it. A permanent space removed friction.
Remove friction = Ease
4. Observe your environment
All environments give a vibe and come with pros & cons. Depending on what your focus is. Set up the space for focus and effectiveness.
If you want to improve health. Build a healthy environment.
5. Avoid distractions
List all potential distraction. Avoid them at all costs. For me personally I put my phone on "Do not disturb', I put headphones in & I close all tabs on my computer aside from what I am working on.
If you aren't aware of distractions, they will control you.
6. Set clear goals and have an execution plan
Know your desired outcomes. What you need to do to achieve this. Get clear on your WHY.
This removes the overwhelm.
This helps you build the best habits & routine to accomplish your goals.
7. Find mentors & accountability
Surround yourself with those who have the results you want. That won't lead you astray. They will serve for accountability & focus.
I have the SMOV academy for this.
The more disciplined you become. The more goals you will achieve. The more influence you will develop & the better life you will build.
I personally find avoiding distractions the hardest part. However because I am aware of them and acknowledge them I am able to be more disciplined and productive.
Discipline is a skill. How I got there may be different to you. These steps worked well for me. If you like them. Test them out for yourself. I would start with one at a time.
Test it and see how it works for you. If it doesn't work for you. Don't use it.
Don't build discipline with things that don't make your life better.
Regardless of how cool it sounds.
There are plenty of people who waste time doing things that are trending on social media but don't make their life better.
Don't be like them.
Be the best you.
Be intentional, Be disciplined and build a great life.
Thanks for reading this week.