You can have all the motivation and talent in the world, but if you have no discipline, your chances of success are significantly lower.
Discipline can sound like a rough word. For some, it conjures up images of punishment. But for others, discipline is equated with big dreams and big goals. On a recent 5AM Call, Sarah Desamours shared three ways to build discipline to reach your goals.
Because, as she stated in the call:
Motivation gets you going, but discipline gets you growing.
Know Your Why
To have more discipline, you need to know your why.
It is difficult to make changes in your life if you don’t know your big why. Your why is the cause or belief that drives you to take action. It’s the reason you keep going even when you want to give up.
If you don’t know what your big why is, start with this simple exercise:
- Write down something you want.
- Elaborate on why you want it.
- Do it again and again until you feel something powerful inside of you. Something emotional even.
You’ll know you found your why when you uncover a reason that moves you to your core.
Practice and Repetition
When you do something repeatedly and engrain it into your life, it becomes second nature.
Before incorporating new habits, determine what goal you want to meet. Then ask yourself, ‘What are the little things I need to do every single day to accomplish my goal?’ Write these things down.
Are you trying to become more fit? What you need to do on a daily or weekly basis to accomplish that? Or are you trying to become a good salesperson? What script do you need to practice every day to get better at sales? How many calls do you need to make?
Write down your goals, write down what you need to do to achieve them, and practice, practice, practice.
Having these goals and daily actions in your visual sight is also helpful. You can print them out or put them as a background on your phone as a constant reminder.
Accountability
Nothing is better than the accountability that keeps you in check when it comes to your goals. Especially if you share your big why with your accountability group or partner.
It is easy to have a million excuses, but when people hold you accountable, your excuses are no longer valid.
Find people who will remind you what you need to do and why you’re doing it. When you share your why with your accountability group, they will constantly remind you of it—even when it’s painful for you to hear.
Another way to hold yourself accountable is journaling at the end of the day. Many people journal at the beginning of the day, but an end-of-day journaling session can help you reflect and hold yourself accountable. Ask yourself in your journal,
- What could I have done today to make today better?
- Did I do what I was supposed to do?
Building discipline takes time, but it’s the only way to consistently reach your goals. What would your life be like if you knew your why, practiced powerful habits daily, and had more accountability?
