“In the study of great people, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves; self-discipline with all of them came first”

Harry S. Truman

Self discipline is essentially doing what you know you HAVE to do, even if you do not want to do it. It means sacrificing some pleasure in order to realise your ambitions in life. Self discipline is making the choice between what you want NOW and what you want MOST ! It is born by having that vision of where you want to be, what you want to achieve and then letting no distractions hinder your pursuit to this end. We can have the best time management systems in place, the biggest goals – but if we do not have the self discipline to act upon these tools, we may as well stay in bed. Many folk these days are inclined to expect immediate results and if these are not forthcoming, they tend to become dejected and lose interest. However, if patience and persistence are displayed, all by-products of self discipline – success will come ! It is not your motivation that produces results — it’s your ACTION. Persistence allows you to keep taking action even when you don’t feel motivated to do so. Practice perseverance and the results, slowly but surely, become visible. Firstly, you must have the aspiration to achieve your goals; not a feeble wish but a genuine desire. Then make a COMMITMENT. The peak of self-discipline is when you make, and keep, a conscious decision. That done there is a virtual guarantee that you’ll follow through with it. Further, keep that picture foremost in your mind of the rewards you will enjoy on reaching your target – that vision of yourself in triumph at the finish. From a practical application, concentrate on starting the task – this negates procrastination. As you get into it, the focus becomes easier as you develop the habit of self-discipline. Let’s take daily exercise as an example. If I return from a long, tiring trip the temptation to forego gym training beckons. I simply tell myself that I will do only ten minutes of an exercise with a very light weight. My mind doesn’t see a problem with that at all. If I only do a few minutes, all well and good – it is better than nothing and the habit is still alive. But invariably once I start, it is easier to continue and in no time I have completed a full training session. Make self discipline a habit. It builds inner strength, character and stability. People with self-discipline also command respect from others. It is an essential for personal leadership.

“Self – discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment”. Jim Rohn