The best definition I’ve heard for discipline is “Give yourself a command and then go do it!” Many times we think of discipline as something that comes from parents, teachers, coaches, and/or administrators because we made choices that were not beneficial.
However, when you understand that discipline actually comes from the Latin word disciplina meaning “instruction and training”, it gives you a different perspective and takes on a whole new meaning. We start to see discipline as a path to get us to where we want to go, as opposed to facing consequences we know will not be enjoyable. As we develop better discipline, we also build better habits, better habits means better results, and we become more satisfied with the direction our life is going!
John Wooden once said, “Discipline yourself, and others won’t need to.” How do we build discipline? Here are some ways to help you.
Plan ahead- Write out six things on a note card that you would like to accomplish the next day.
Rank Them- After you have written them out… Rank them from 1-6. Do not move on to the next task until you have finished the first task.
Delay or Eliminate distractions- distractions get you off task, which makes tasks take longer to complete. Here are some ways to delay or eliminate distractions
Put your phone in another room
Set a timer for 1 hour for entertainment like Netflix/Video Games
Disconnect from the internet/network
Turn on the “Do Not Disturb” function
Give yourself a reward after you have completed 3 of your six tasks. Set a timer for 5 minutes so that you can do anything you want. However once the timer goes off, finish the to-do list!
Build your Dreams through the right Routines
Example: Here is my morning routine. I call it my power hour. Make it the first thing you do when you wake up, whenever you wake up. 7:00 AM is a great time to start for teenagers to make sure you are getting plenty of quality sleep.
20-30 minutes of meditation
20-30 minutes of exercise
20-30 minutes of learning something new
Distractions are things that take your focus off your goals and ambitions. They feel good in the moment, but can be detrimental to your long-term success. In other words, you lose traction on what you want to accomplish. Self-Discipline is a skill that can help you gain traction. When you gain traction, you gain momentum towards what you want and what you want ends up coming to you faster.
The best athletes in the world also tend to be the most disciplined. They know what they need to do and then they go and do it. The fact that they go and do it is what separates them from everyone else. Many of us know what we need to do, however, we don’t always follow through with our actions.
Start off with writing down 3 things on a notecard every night before you go to bed and promise yourself you’re going to do them the next day. Then each week add 1 more task to your card until you build up to 6 tasks.
Here is an example you could use on the first day
Pick up my room and make my bed before I eat breakfast
Practice a specific sports skill or follow an exercise program for 30 minutes
Read for 20 minutes
It’s go time! Constantly become a little more self-disciplined and feel yourself improving. Make the choice to get a little better today. You’ll be so glad you did!
