For you to succeed in any path or endeavor you wish to take, you need self-discipline. No matter how hardworking and motivated you are, without discipline, you will never be able to realize your goals and achieve success. It is one crucial attribute that you need in order to be the best in anything that you do and to have the right attitude and mindset to realize your goals.
Is discipline better than motivation for your success? The answer is yes!
Discipline focuses on what to do. It is your ability to do what is right and to always improve yourself and be the best version of yourself. Discipline is more of thinking and reasoning that shape your thoughts and eventually your actions. It gives you the direction as to where you want to move. When you are disciplined, you know how to use your strengths and even your weaknesses to your benefit.
When you have self-discipline, you can control your emotions, impulses and behavior. You do not easily give in to pleasure or immediate gratifications that will compromise long term fulfillment. When you are disciplined, you can make right decisions and actions.
It does not necessarily mean that motivation is irrelevant. Motivation is also essential especially since this is the driving force that pushes you to achieve your goals. Motivation is what is running on your mind that says you can do it no matter what other people say. Unlike discipline, motivation is based more on emotions and it is a skill that will lead you to victory in life.
Motivation and Discipline
Discipline is the one that determines the kind of success that you will have. But without motivation, you will have the spirit to start. That is why motivation and discipline should go hand in hand. Motivation starts the engine but the discipline is the one that commands the direction. When you have the two, you get to have the right mindset that will surely take you to greater heights.
Developing Self-Discipline
Having self-discipline does not happen overnight. All throughout the different periods of your life, you need to constantly develop self-discipline. This is something that you cannot get or learn overnight. So, what are the ways for you to develop self-discipline?
Take one step at a time.
Self-discipline is a long process and it definitely takes time. You have to train and to condition yourself for you to have a stronger and more disciplined mind. This is definitely not an easy task especially when there are temptations and then there are so many things that can affect your thoughts and perceptions. But it actually helps if you start with baby steps. Acknowledge the fact that you have to take one step at a time. As you go along the process, you will notice that you improve and you become more disciplined.
Learn from past mistakes.
No matter how disciplined you are, it is not a guarantee that you will not commit any mistake. But what separates people with both strong internal and external discipline is that they learn from their past mistakes. A mistake done once is understandable but doing the same mistake for the second time is definitely a bad thing. Learn from your past mistakes so you know how you can further improve and discipline yourself.
Know yourself.
Knowing yourself is the key to have stronger discipline. It is really difficult to fight urges and the things that you want. For instance, if you like eating fast-food eating too much sweet foods, you should resist or stay away from places where you know you can find them. You should also learn what motivates you.
Practice good habits.
A disciplined person has good habits. Whether it is being professional at work or being polite to other people, it always shows in all aspects of your life. As such, you need to practice good habits. This is one way for you to become a better version of who you are and to discipline yourself in a way that you know what is right from wrong and making a decision that will help you realize your goals.
What are the Benefits?
Self-discipline can give you a lot of benefits. For one, it builds your self-confidence. When you are disciplined, you know who you are, what you can do and what you should not do. Self-discipline can also help you achieve more which in turn makes your more productive. In addition, you can also easily deal with negative emotions and obstacles that come your way. With self-discipline, you can achieve even the most difficult goals. When you have self-discipline, you can always find your way back even when at times the road gets too tough. Combined with other positive attitudes, you get to have the recipe for success.
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Amy Cowen is a professional editor and writer. She manages her own team of writers at Aussiewriter, always trying to improve their productivity through the right motivation.
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