Self-discipline is another one of those dirty words. We’re told to take it easy. Go with the flow. Don’t sweat it. The myth of fast and easy pervades modern society. This may convince you to buy a lot of junk you don’t need, but it isn’t an effective way to run your life if fulfillment and success matter to you.
Even when you’re highly motivated to work on goals that truly inspire you, there will be times where your motivation wanes, and you have to tap into your willpower to keep going. Self-discipline is the willingness to do what it takes to achieve the results you want regardless of your mood. When you’re feeling unmotivated, apathetic, bored, or lazy, self-discipline provides you second wind and keeps you moving. It’s your fail-safe, your motivational backup system.
Being highly motivated is wonderful, but the energetic boost that motivation provides is unstable; it has its peaks and valleys. Even if you absolutely love what you do, there will still be plenty of tedious and difficult tasks that you don’t enjoy much. For example, you may love your children and enjoy spending time with them, but you’ll still have days when caring for them is a thankless grind. Of course, you can take a break. You can ask for help when you need it. But even when you take time for personal renewal, you’ll still encounter situations where you just aren’t motivated to do what it takes to get the results you want. And that’s where self-discipline can save the day.
Motivation and self-discipline are the twin tools of power. Motivation is often highest at the beginning of a project. You’re fresh out of the envisioning stage, your goals and dreams still dancing in your head. Maybe you’ve decided to start a new diet or exercise program. You take up the challenge willingly and breeze through the first few days. But after a couple of weeks, the initial motivation has fades. Now the work is just plain hard, and you wonder whether it’s worth the effort to continue. This is where self-discipline can prevent you from quitting, granting you the ability to press on in spite of yourself. Motivation starts the race, but self-discipline ultimately crosses the finish line.
You see, motivation is highest when you’re already in motion. When you stop moving, your motivation naturally declines. If you can summon just enough discipline to get going again, you’ll often find that your momentum reboots your natural motivation to continue. It requires a lot of power to go from a state of rest to a state of action, but once you’re moving, it’s easier to keep going.
Self-discipline must be balanced with reason and intelligence. It isn’t productive to push yourself to the breaking point, but it is productive to reclaim time that would otherwise be wasted. Self-discipline means taking appropriate action when it should be taken. This includes having the discipline to get things done on time without resorting to extreme measures. Pulling an all-nigher to cram for an exam isn’t self-discipline—it’s merely the consequence of procrastination.
Problems, obstacles, and setbacks are no barriers for people with high self-discipline. A disciplined person looks at a problem like a bodybuilder looks at a barbell: I will lift you and grow stronger in the process. Picture a 40-pound dumbbell. Is it light or heavy? That depends on how strong you are. Some people would consider that a heavy weight, while others would say it’s light. Similarly, no problems are big or small except relative to your self-discipline. The more disciplined you become, the lighter your problems are.
Disciplining yourself to do what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like it, isn’t easy. Building your self-discipline is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. It’s so difficult that some people will do almost anything to avoid it—procrastinate endlessly, do drugs, even commit suicide. But despite the difficulty, self-discipline remains one of the most significant aspects of personal development. Without it, your life is doomed to remain a pale shadow of your potential. Imagine all the wonderful accomplishments that will be within your grasp once you become disciplined enough to consistently follow through on your best intentions. It’s a wonderful feeling to set goals, knowing that you can trust yourself to do what it takes to achieve them.
* Source: Personal Development for Smart People by Steve Pavlina