Establish Discipline

There is no doubt that the most successful individuals in business, sports or any other trade have a disciplined lifestyle. Everything from what they eat, to their exercise routine, to how they organize their day has a structure. This structured discipline is what differentiates the good from the great.

When we are in school, we accomplish discipline by being told what to do and when to do it by our parents and teachers. Some students are better than others at doing homework and projects, which is reflected in their grades and overall academic performance. Somehow when we go to college and are no longer told what to do, we lose our discipline and structure. This is the start of what then becomes a life of winging it, of just reacting to situations instead of planning.

Think for a minute what a difference having discipline with what we eat can have on our body and mind. If you stop to think about your meal plan for the day, you would avoid eating out of hunger, stress and grabbing whatever high calorie, non-nutritious food crosses your path simply because you are at a point of famish. This example is clearly visible by observing our bodies and how these bad habits reflect in our girth. Now apply the same example to our daily lives, your business, your goals, your money choices. If we treat them the same way we treat our eating, it is no wonder we are not getting the results we may be seeking.

How do you establish a discipline for success? First don’t be hard on yourself. You have years of bad habits that cannot be changed overnight. I use to bite my nails out of stress and it then just became a bad habit that is not very hygienic to say the least. It took me years to break it and occasionally, I catch myself sticking my fingers in my mouth but it can be changed. The first step is to get real with yourself. Just get mad! That’s it, I have had enough! Then start with just one thing. One change you are going to commit to making.

Here is a personal example. I realized that I had a lot of daily stresses in my life and I was having a difficult time disconnecting and finding joy in simple things. I was becoming way to serious! I started paying attention to what I was focusing on during the day. I was only compounding it by the stuff I was listening to. The soundbites in your day program your brain to think and feel a certain way. My first change which was extremely challenging was disconnecting from the news. I realized news tend to be negative, depressing, stressful and I can’t do anything about whatever is being reported. It does not get me any closer to my goals and objectives. I would wake up in the morning to the news, I would then turn the TV on while eating my breakfast to the morning show and listen to more news and gossip on other people’s lives and then I would get in my car and listen to more news. I figured I was well informed, I was building knowledge and well you get the point, it was my own excuses for why I had established this habit.

I started the change by establishing a new morning routine. I now wake up and listen to a motivational speaker like Tony Robbins, Darren Hardy or Mel Robbins, while I do my hair and makeup. Then I listen to soft music while making my coffee. A few weeks after getting this routine down, I added a new element, a 5 minute meditation after my coffee. On my drive to work I now listen to Audible to change the soundbite I listen to and make it something relevant to my goal. I can’t stress enough how these small changes over time have drastically changed my life and my business results. By the way, the world problems continue and it does not affect my daily life. I know there were a few hurricanes recently and I donated money for the recovery efforts. I helped do my positive part but I did not have to watch upsetting images to be motivated to donate. All disciplines begin by establishing a new routine and sticking to it even when you are on vacation.

Try making the changes over a period of 4 weeks. Write it down so that you don’t forget and every day read it, follow it and tweak it. You will be so amazed at how you can improve every aspect of your life. I have applied the same changes to my eating, exercising and even playtime with my son. I have disciplined routines that I have established and I feel so much more relaxed and confident that I am on the road to reaching my goals. Remember it is not the destination but the journey that is the most important.