7 Ways to Develop Daily Discipline

We have all heard many definitions for the word discipline. Regardless of how you define discipline, it is important to develop and maintain it to be successful. So how do you maintain a discipline? By combining an automated brain program- doing whatever needs to be done- with an incredible commitment to your goal.

It becomes increasingly harder to be disciplined in a society that prizes instant gratification. We are more concerned about feeling good all the time, so we seek immediate pleasures. Discipline is the difference between being in control of your future and letting your environment dictate your destiny.

Discipline gives you the ability to do what you want because you know you can learn how to achieve any dream you set your mind to. Discipline teaches you how to control your thoughts and create an optimistic mood.

Discipline builds self-confidence, mental and physical strength, and inspires you to grow as a human being. With growth comes the ability to enjoy life in deeper, more meaningful ways. Anyone can develop discipline. It’s a skill and it’s not complicated—you just have to train yourself for it. Here’s how:

1. Set big goals.

When you challenge yourself to achieve bigger goals, you really dedicate yourself. The more time you spend on it, the harder it becomes to quit. The bigger the goal, the more invested you become.

2. Set clear goals.

Clearly define what your goal means to you and what you will specifically do to achieve it. If you set a goal to live healthier, for example, will you go running every day? At what time and for how long? Will you eat healthy? If there is no clear goal, there is no opportunity to create the specific steps you’d need to do to accomplish it.

3. Know that every day matters.

When you wake up in the morning, do you know what’s most important for you to accomplish that day? Every goal, every priority, you have set for yourself is there to keep momentum going toward your goals.

4. Don’t argue with the plan.

When you start the process, you cannot question it, you cannot hesitate, you cannot back down—you have to work hard every single day to reach your dream, full force.

5. Build a no-matter-what mindset.

Build the mindset that you will accomplish things when you said you would. No matter what. You have to create pressure for yourself, otherwise nothing will get done. There is good stress and bad stress, and you have to make sure you are operating under good stress—a manageable adrenaline that stimulates you.

6. Plan a routine.

Create a routine that becomes second nature, automatic, normal. Planning your own routine—and sticking to it until it becomes automatic—can prep you for success, too.

7. Go above feelings.

The hardest part about discipline is maintaining the actions needed to achieve your dream or state of happiness. It requires constant hard work and fighting against comfort and instant pleasures. To do so, you have to separate yourself from the feelings that stop you from getting to your full potential.

I love discipline because it is a source of power. It is an engine that helps us understand and explore our capabilities and life’s opportunities. Discipline is the freedom to put all our energy into creating something meaningful and beautiful.

It’s up to us to choose the life with discipline or without, with a goal or without, with a dream or without.

Remember to always be your best self!