What if I told you that I could predict the one thing holding you back from achieving your goals?
I know, it’s a big claim.
But it’s true.
As my headline suggests, if you could learn how to build more of this, I can almost guarantee success.
Yep, that’s TWO big claims now.
Before you roll your eyes or click out of this article, I want you to stay with me on this one. And if you do, you’ll see why understanding this one simple concept can change your life. Okay, last big claim, I promise.
The Secret Sauce to Success
After reading Brian Tracy’s book No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline
On paper, I’d bet that you see yourself as pretty disciplined. I know I did before reading that book.
I worked a minimum of 40 hours each week. I tried to eat as healthy as I could. I even worked out 2-3 per week on most weeks. I also knew not to eat dessert every night.
I followed the rules. That’s disciplined enough right?
Turns out, that’s how most of us live, according to Tracy.
Most of us just do enough to get by and we coast on autopilot. We haven’t yet figured out a good enough reason to push any further so we don’t.
We also settle for jobs that are just okay and we convince ourselves that this is probably as good as it’s going to get. We even settle on a weight that we’re probably not happy with or a routine that doesn’t excite us. Trust me, I was there.
But I’d bet that deep down inside you know you were meant to do more. To earn more and to be more than just someone who gets by.
Unfortunately, *insert emoji that’s looking down in disappointment* this is where most of us get stuck. Essentially, this is our stopping point.
Now, on the flip side, if we had more discipline, we’d be able to achieve anything we put our minds to. #ForRealTho #IKnowItSoundsLikeFluff
And that’s exactly what I want to show you how to do today.
Step One: Here’s What Discipline Really Looks Like
First, you have to figure out where in your life you need this whole discipline thing and why it matters.
After all, you’ve probably made it pretty far by now.
But, if you don’t have financial security, your optimal health/body, or an overall feeling of happiness, I’d argue that you could use a bit more discipline in your life.
These are also great places to start.
If you’re worried about financial security, you need to work more. It’s that simple.
And if you think you’re maxed out at your job money-wise, it’s time to start a side project to hustle some more moolah your way.
A successful side project starts out with as little as 1 hour a day, seven days a week. If you can devote 7 hours a week, or 28 hours per month, you’ll have a nice little side hustle in no time.
This is exactly how I started freelancing.
I wasn’t earning enough at my job and I tried working longer hours but it didn’t make a difference.
So I learned everything there was to freelancing and started doing it as a side hustle. Eventually, I went full-time and earned revenues in excess of $58,000 my first year (read: NOT take home pay). All from my house. It was incredible and something I could have never predicted.
But I devoted an hour a day to get there and eventually, it happened. It just took a sh!t ton of discipline which I wasn’t always so well-equipped with.
As for your health, I recommend the same formula for success: get your butt moving for at least an hour per day, 4-5 times per week.
I know this may seem drastic, but we are sitting far more than ever and, as a result, 20-30 minute workouts just aren’t going to cut it.
If you want to drop those last 10 lbs, or be healthier really, you’ve got to be disciplined (read: not restricted, see step five).
Even as a freelancer, I have the ability to create my own schedule. Yet, I wake up at 5:45 am everyday so I can start my workout by 6:30. And I’m usually in bed between 9:30-10:30 despite the fact that I can stay up as late as I want.
The thing is, I used to be the complete opposite. I slept in ‘til 7 or 8 on most mornings and didn’t go to bed earlier than 11.
But I realized that this lack of discipline, while it was fun and freeing, was ruining my productivity the next day. I barely had time to workout. So I’d rush through a 30 minute HIIT circuit and wondered why I wasn’t making any progress.
I know what you’re thinking now.
Step Two: Bring on the Excuses
This is the point where your excuses start to overflow.
Who has time for this? I sure don’t!
A gym is too expensive! I can’t afford a membership.
I already work too many hours.
I write all day. The last thing I want to do is write more.
That’s easy for you to say. This won’t work for me.
You can literally insert any reason for why you can’t workout for an hour a day or work on a side hustle (or more at your job) for one extra hour per day.
But the truth is, the most successful people have plenty of excuses just like the rest of us.
The difference is that they understand these excuses are mostly self-limiting.
So they don’t feed into them.
Instead, they acknowledge an excuse for what it is and they move on.
I included this step here since it’s inevitably going to happen to you too.
You’re going to assume you don’t have the time to improve your situation, but I promise YOU DO.
Start timing how long you’re on Facebook/social media, your phone, online games, or you’re watching TV and then tell me you don’t have time.
Seriously, track the time you spend on these activities and I promise you’ll find at least an hour if not two to spare.
We all do it! I was just as guilty.
But now I see that I was burying myself into these mindless activities to avoid reaching my goals.
It was wayyyy easier to do those things I just mentioned than to be disciplined.
And if you’re using money as an excuse for your health, trust me, I was there too.
I used to do home and outdoor workouts to save money on a gym membership.
What could be better than working out in the great outdoors? It was a double win.
Except for when it was unbearably hot, rainy, or just plain buggy.
Then it became easy for me to have an excuse not to work out: Today was a run day and it’s raining so I guess I’ll just skip it!
It turns out, I just didn’t have the discipline to work out at home. I couldn’t keep things consistent. And I was a personal trainer at one point! I had tons of workout options and had a blast coming up with ideas. Putting them to work was another story.
I also didn’t want to spend a fortune on a gym membership that I’d never use.
So I went with the lowest commitment possible (and love it..shout out to Planet Fitness!!) and I’ve never been in better shape.
I now go to the gym regularly (4-5 times per week for over an hour each time) and even went during the Thanksgiving holiday….while I was out of town.
I would have never done that before. I would have used the week as a time to take off…instead of being disciplined.
Step Three: Take Action Now, Not Tomorrow
Don’t get stuck on tomorrow island, as they say.
Take action now.
And don’t stop taking action.
Come into work an hour earlier or stay an hour later if you’re hitting the gym first thing instead.
Hop off of Facebook after 15 minutes and use the extra time for something productive instead. Heck, read a book. You’ll still be better off.
If you’re having trouble on where to start, whip out a sheet of old fashioned paper and brain dump everything that’s troubling you.
These should be nagging tasks that you can’t stop thinking about.
Write them down and prioritize them using the ABCD system we talked about in this article and get going.
This is where the real discipline comes in: taking action.
Discipline is doing what you should be doing even when you don’t feel like it.
Remember that ol’ newsflash I’ve mentioned before?—-> you will never feel up to doing certain things.
There are still days when the gym is the last thing I want to do. But afterwards, it’s always worth it.
This also brings us to our next step.
Step Four: Shift Your Focus to the Long Term
One of the biggest problems when it comes to discipline is caving into the short term temptations that we face everyday.
Snoozing for an extra 20 minutes instead of working out. Binge watching another hour of TV instead of doing the dishes or cleaning the house. Eating desserts that we haven’t really “earned.” The list goes on.
Yet, when we cater to these instant gratification items, we end up stuck in the same position year after year.
This is another difference between those who are successful.
They think long term instead of short term only.
Yes, it would be so much nicer in the short term to sleep in. But in the long run, if I don’t snooze and workout for an hour instead, I’ll actually have more energy and won’t feel as groggy or lazy as I do when I sleep in.
Plus, these short term pleasers don’t last long. And we end up feeling worse after consuming them.
That’s why you’re likely to feel more tired and lazy after a TV binge session.
The short term rewards aren’t even worth it at that point.
So when your excuses start to surface and you feel like not taking action is justified, I want you to envision your life in 5 years. If you repeated this each day, what would your life look like?
If you answered exactly the same….BINGO! You won my invisible prize.
Instead, imagine where you could be if you acted in the opposite way: you worked even when you didn’t feel like it. I bet your life would be 10x better, if not more.
Step Five: Understand this Key Difference
Keep in mind, discipline does not mean restriction. I’m not telling you to give up on all the fun things in life.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
I’m telling you to quit doing the sh!t that won’t get you closer to your goals and ultimately what makes you happy in life.
It’s like me giving you a dollar now and saying if you don’t spend it, I’ll turn it into $100 later.
Wait for that hundo baby. The $100 later on is worth the wait. Stop succumbing to the short term $10 rewards.
Now, I want you to understand something: We all have this potential within us.
But most of us ignore it or justify a bunch of lame excuses for why nothing works for us.
So we end up stuck in the same place year after year and hope at some point that a New Year’s resolution will kick us into gear.
But it never does and it never will.
Until you focus on flexing that discipline muscle of yours, you’re going to be stuck in the same sh!t.
Remember, you have the tools you need to change the situation you’re in. If you don’t, head over to the library or the glorious internet and immerse yourself in as much education as you can. Whatever area you’re struggling in, learn all about it until you have a plan of action.
Don’t freeze up! Decide to change and just do it.
And if you need help, I’m here. I’ll be your accountability buddy! Just please don’t keep living this way. There’s more out there for you! I promise 🙂