Every day we are preparing for success or failure whether we know it or not. We all have the pain of challenges. It’s true. How we respond to them is what makes it suffering or not. Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. There are two kinds of pain in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. Which one do you choose?
Let’s choose the pain of discipline. Everything comes with a price, and I promise you that the price you pay for failure and giving up on yourself is much more painful than the price of being consistent and taking action to get what you want. Inconsistency is even more painful than consistency. Cement it in your brain that the pain of self-discipline is momentary and the payoff is long lasting. Don’t feel like hopping on the treadmill? Hop on for only two minutes and then see how you feel.
Self-discipline is all about deferring immediate gratification in pursuit of a bigger achievement. It is easier to say no to six cream-filled donuts when you have a deeper yes! A fundamental skill is to resist impulse. The way to get better at self-discipline is to know that every choice you make can put you in a better place for the next choice.
Once you know what you want, and how to get it, do it and do it on a regular basis. If you get stuck, go back to the reason you are doing it in the first place. Can I fill you in on a little magic? Okay, do you want to know the secret to consistency, the secret to consistent action to getting what you want? Yes? Yes? Okay. The secret to consistency has two parts. Here we go:
1. Link your highest value to whatever you want to achieve. This is an incredibly motivating secret. Whatever is most important to you, figure out the link on how it will be helped if you get what you want. For example, let’s say you are having a hard time losing weight. You have tried everything, blah, blah, blah. Let’s say what is most important to you are your kids. How will losing weight help your kids? Get it? Do this now. What are you wanting and what is most important to you? How does getting what you want help what is most important to you? What did you come up with?
2. Develop your daily actions to get what you want until they become unconscious habits and constant automatic behaviors that help you get what you want. Need more money, make it an unconscious habit to invest ten percent every paycheck without looking at it. Need six pack abs? Make it an unconscious habit to pack your meals every night for the next day. You get the picture.