Monday Mindfulness

What is Self-Discipline to you?

This word gets thrown around a lot....... There is a big struggle out there with people staying focused. I know from experience and from watching people I am close with, my friends, family and coworkers struggle with this. Maybe it is the same for you. Self-discipline is like a muscle. It takes time to develop and like many muscles, the more stress we apply to it and keep pushing through the stronger it gets. We could eat the dessert, we could stay in an hour later in bed, we could not workout today, we could go out and get drunk tonight and miss out on an early start tomorrow. We are faced with tons and tons of decisions every week that require self-discipline. By stacking small decisions and small wins throughout our day and week we gain confidence. Sometimes you will not feel like it. It can be anxiety, depression, tiredness, or just other distractions. IT IS UP to YOU to decide in each hour of the day how you want to manage your time.

Do you know what is on the agenda for today? Have you game planned around how you want to maximize your day or week? An hour or two a week can be plenty of time to map out what you are trying to accomplish for the week. As each day ends write down your main objectives. Tomorrow could be to eat 3 clean meals or study for 3 hours to learn a new skill or subject. You will have a choice to make that day on whether to do it and put the time in.

Once the day begins, we get to decide who we will show up as. We get to decide what is on our calendar. As humans there tends to be a lot of time spent doing random things, but what are we actually accomplishing? We may feel that some days our day begins with a schedule and turns into a day full of randomness that we were not anticipating. This happens to everyone. A good cure for this is getting up earlier and getting the most important tasks done first. This will allow our mind to be free and our day to move with more flow.

“Self-discipline is self-love” - Will Smith

Before bed write down what you are looking forward to. Find a way to put those tasks into the early part of your day. OR if there are activities you need to get done to move you closer to your ultimate goals than get those done first. Keep focusing on main priorities and then when you feel you have spent all of your time there, move to the next task. Anxiety, fear, restlessness, or lack of knowledge is all a part of doing new things or committing to focusing on the important stuff first. The brain will wonder, I know mine does, but just come back to your task.

Self-discipline is like dribbling a basketball, riding a bike, working out, etc. There is muscle memory involved, and the more you do it, the more you improve, and it becomes a part of who you are. You will notice when you are lacking self-discipline. Your food habits will change, your screen time during the day will change, the mind will get lazy. The key is to notice it, and to make a decision that day to crank of the pressure on yourself. We ate bad yesterday, okay lets eats good the next 2 days. OR we slept in today, let's make sure we are in bed with a plan of attack for tomorrow early tonight. Be unapologetic in your approach. If there is a person or place that will encourage you to act in the way you do not want to act, then completely cut it out. OR tell them about your stance on it.

Jocko Willink is a retired Navy Seal and well-known figure who talks a lot on the importance self-discipline. He has led men in War and had to map out and carry out plans through intense battle and warfare. On the Jocko Podcast he talks a lot about why discipline is hard. What he points out is the truth about discipline. It is in the doing that you find the ability to stay disciplined. “Holding the line” and staying true to the promises you have kept to yourself. He points out that if there is a trick, it is to imagine the outcome or the feeling you will have if you do stick to your standards and values, but to also envision the sadness or guilt you will feel after if you do not keep your standards and ask yourself which one you would rather have at the end of the day. “Holding the line in the critical minutes will put you in a better place mentally and physically.” “It is not easy, but it is vital. Discipline equals freedom.”

“The reality is, when you sleep in, you did not get the things done you wanted to do to have the freedom later in your day.” Now you have become a slave to your day and a slave to your time instead of owning your schedule. When talking with Success magazine he goes into more detail about the beauty of getting up early. By getting up early you give yourself personal time to focus on yourself. Doing something physical every morning is huge! When you have discipline in certain times you have freer times in other parts of your day. Schedule your day according to what you need to get done personally, so you can have the time to deal with obligations and the world during other parts of your day.

What is standing in your way. Is it the voice in your head, is it your best friend, is it a family member? Who is it or what is it? The easiest way to stay focused and build discipline is through saying NO to things that do not serve the great purpose or your greater mission. If it does not align with your goals or values that get rid of it. If you cannot physically remove it, then game plan around how you plan to maneuver mentally when you are confronted with the situation or person.

Ultimately there will come a time during the week where you have executed on the majority of what you wanted to do and that voice creeps in. It is telling you to take a step back, or to pause it may be time for a small break, nap or good source of protein or vitamins, maybe it is sunlight, but in reality, your mind is getting tired. Restore it with positive external sources or intentional self-talk. This is where most people break down. Their self-discipline muscle is running low on endurance. You can run, do pushups, jump up and down with music or you can lay down, blink, take a walk, grab some water or let the mind rest. Either way, there is usually more in your tank. This does not mean take the day off or act out of control.

The feelings you get after putting in weeks and months of calculated decisions that are fueled with self-discipline can be tiring. You earned that and it is a privilege. You can lay down at night knowing you gave it your all and pushed yourself. Just ask yourself, did I do the things I said I would, and did I take action on the promises I made to myself.

Today is YOUR Day!

Get after it !