Do you want to be happy, to have a fulfilling life, and to feel good about your achievements?
OF COURSE! Everyone does! And everyone and their mother has a cool habit or mental hack that will help you get there. But there’s one thing that you need in order to be successful at any of those things – or to be ultimately successful at ANYTHING in life: self-discipline and mental toughness.
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Introduction to Intentional Living
How to Build Self-Discipline
If you are determined, if you have mental grit and tenacious staying power, you can do whatever you want. You will accomplish your goals.
As with most things, self-discipline can be strengthened and it can be improved!
And how do we get better at things? We practice practice practice… on repeat!
Here are 5 proven ways to build your self-discipline into an unshakeable force that will become your greatest asset!
1. Make it Easy on Yourself
It may seem counterintuitive, but make it easy to succeed! Stack the deck in your favor by reducing temptations and distractions, especially in your home environment!! If you are trying to quit smoking, you don’t start by going and spending 12 hours in a room of chain-smokers, right? You start by avoiding the things that will tempt you in the first place.
If you are trying to eat healthier, don’t but a bunch of chips and candy! If you are trying to spend less time on social media, turn off your notifications!
As your self-discipline improves, you’ll be able to handle the extra temptation, but you have to give yourself the chance to get there.
2. Nourish Your Body
That means stay hydrated, eat regularly, and choose healthy foods. Multiple studies have shown that low blood sugar leads to poor self-control.
When you are hungry, your brain doesn’t have as much energy as it needs to reign in all of your wild impulses. And not only does it wreck your focus and willpower, but it also makes you pessimistic! And it’s much easier to dig in and be mentally tough when you are feeling optimistic.
3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
You are never going to build your willpower if you always stay in your normal rut and routine. If you want to build self-discipline, you are going to need to shake things up!
And yes, it’s going to be uncomfortable. That’s the point! It may feel “wrong,” but it really is just “not normal.” Your brain wants to keep doing what it’s used to doing.
So get comfortable with being uncomfortable! Don’t fall back into whatever is comfortable – push and challenge yourself!
4. Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
Don’t be too strict with yourself! Everyone needs a little breathing room, including you. Even when you are in the middle of a focused task, make a point out of taking breaks. You’ll come back with renewed energy and get twice as much done.
And reward yourself for your accomplishments! Acknowledge your success and the work you put in to get there.
Building self-discipline is hard work – so schedule breaks and reward yourself.
5. Forgive Yourself
You will slip up sometimes. It’s human nature. Things are going to always go the way you want them too and you will occasionally let yourself down. But you have to choose how you will respond.
Will you beat yourself up and get discouraged? Or will you forgive yourself and persevere – will you use the setback to motivate you to do better in the future? To keep trying even when things get challenging?
Forgive yourself and get right back on track. One mistake isn’t going to set you back that much, but giving up entirely won’t accomplish anything.
An important part of self-discipline is not letting your inner critic get the best of you. Never give up!
In Conclusion
These five proven methods for building self-discipline and mental toughness will help you succeed at whatever you choose to tackle: breaking bad habits, establishing good ones, improving your self-control…
Putting in the effort to strengthen your willpower will empower you to make better choices and accomplish whatever you set your mind to.
What’s your biggest self-discipline stumbling block? How do you convince yourself to keep going when you want to give up?