No training program, or even exercise schedule can get anywhere without discipline. Motivation is all well and good. Listening to a two minute motivational speech can get you in the gym, or out of bed in the morning. Remembering why you started can help you lift that overhead press with correct form instead of opting for a higher weight out of ego and ruining performing the exercise correctly. But motivation is transient and can often dissipate. It only takes one morning for you to feel out of touch, or bored, or a little foggy to give up on the day, and to indulge in your past habits.
Motivation is a fire that must be continually kindled. But building great discipline will be that which gets up, chops to the wood, carries the wood and places it responsibly to ensure that fire burns for some time in the future. Motivation is nothing without discipline.
But how should you develop the correct mindset for discipline? Is it something given to you, something you must fight for, or something that naturally occurs over time? Let us explore below, because this might help you take your efforts to the next level, and come to a deeper understanding of yourself:
It’s All About Your Attitude
Even professional athletes and titans of industry sometimes struggle to get out of bed in the morning. Even with everything to live for, the morning fog can come across anyone, even those who are in peak physical condition. This is just a small example of something to overcome each day, but it matters, because it’s always the first thing you will. It’s all about your attitude in these moments. It can be easy to feel one way, but acting in another is often needed if you’re to overcome those feelings. Of course, listening to your body and paying attention to your health is a baseline priority, but sometimes it can be important to use your meta-cognition to always act in favor of the long-term, rather than to allow short-term feelings and emotions to sway you from your best life.
Structure Yourself
It can be important to follow a plan that actually helps you build discipline. For example, building discipline to go for a walk each morning when you wake up is one thing, but after a week you are used to it, and the challenge is gone. A more structured approach can be important. Perhaps you’ll say ‘I hope to walk two miles each and every day.’ Once you get to two miles you may increase the distance, or perhaps wear a rucksack with heavy books inside. Perhaps you might join a professional and educational physical outlet, such as training with a Kung Fu Shaolin, or entering a meditation program. Structuring yourself or following a structure can help your discipline have weight, and rather than something only mindlessly repeated, follow that which has a direction in mind.
Take It Slowly
No one expects you to enjoy the perfect day, every day. But the willingness to try again tomorrow can always be there to help you. Slowly add your disciplines, slowly get used to them, and learn how to steward them. Over time you will rely less out of true raw intent and more out of habit and understanding, and then you can best apply the wisest direction from there. It’s best to find discipline in one craft than many at once, as this helps you grow with more reliability.
With these tips, you’re sure to develop the right mind for discipline.
