Discipline is Never Easy; but Try This:
Discipline, applied in any area, is one of the most valuable tools to becoming our most extraordinary selves. A lot of us don’t realize how much we actually crave discipline in our lives until we are willfully practicing it. Without consistently regulating our actions (or lack thereof), we can unfortunately slip into the painful opposite of what we envision for our lives.
CREATE DAILY ROUTINES
Once you decide on the upward direction your life will go in, it’s as if the traits of self-discipline start to call your name. You get this urge to become more organized. While this fresh, my suggestion is to come up with, or make an update to your daily routines.
Now, these routines should make room for the habits that you want to develop or enhance. If you want to be someone that maximizes your day, try waking up earlier. You can do this by making sure that you are getting enough sleep the night before. I’ve also seen where people place their alarms or phones somewhere that is far away from their beds, or even in another room to prevent falling back to sleep, or hitting the snooze button.
If creating a healthier lifestyle is your goal, then eating and/or exercise habits should also be lined out in this daily routine. Cutting out fast-food and frequenting the gym are key to feeling and living at your best.
STICK WITH IT
After practicing habits like these every day, week after week, you should find waking up at that earlier time to be much easier than before, if not automatic. When I first cut-out fast food, I felt better and looked healthier, and after a while my taste for greasy, fried foods went away.
That is what self-discipline does. When we immerse ourselves into a dimension of healthy habits, they become our lives instead of feeling like a chore. Not only that, but you also inch closer towards being and exceeding the person you’ve always dreamed of.
KNOW YOUR WHY
Now what if you don’t yet have a clear vision of your best self? That, along with a concrete plan, are the most important elements of a disciplined lifestyle. The vision is your “why” for self-denial. Without a clear “why”, setting up healthy habits can become useless and they will eventually be dropped.
Before having a “why” for living a healthier lifestyle, I constantly slipped back into scarfing down Sonic™ mozzarella sticks, and Hollywood Mart Krispy Krunchy fried chicken (IYKYK). All the benefits I received from eating only homemade, nutritious meals soon faded away. I realized that I didn’t have a reason that was personal enough for me to stop.
But after reflecting on 1 Corinthians 3:17, my family’s medical history, as well as my quality of life, and personal appearance (which were both terribly affected by my bad eating habits), I set goals for where I wanted to be, and included a workout plan that I could stick to.
VISUALIZE THE LONG-TERM REWARDS
Practicing self-discipline is hard at first, so do not wait for when the time “feels right” to change. It won’t happen. Ultimately, we are human and fall short every single day. It is important to forgive ourselves and move forward when we run off course. Remember that a disciplined spirit is within you (2 Tim. 1:7). Visualize the long-term rewards, and discipline will most likely be your aim and dwelling.
