The Art Of Self Discipline

Self discipline is the correction or regulation of one's self for the sake of personal improvement. Your ability to develop the habit of self discipline will contribute more to your success than any other  quality of character.

People naturally equate self discipline with the absence of freedom. But in the real sense , the reverse is the case.
People who refuse to practice self discipline end up being slaves of their emotions, appetite and so on. They lack the freedom that comes with having complete control over their and going after what they have passion for.

For example when trying to keep fit, there are times when you'll lack motivation and the passion to continue but this is where self discipline comes in. In most cases you'll find it difficult waking up by 5 am and doing the required exercise. You might even in some cases prefer to eat certain food which certainly is not required if you must keep fit. This is where self discipline plays it's role. Self discipline involves acting on what pays in the long term instead of how you feel at the moment.

How Important Is Self Discipline In The Quest For Success? 

After Herbert Grey had interviewed successful men for eleven years, he came to a conclusion that successful people are those who "Make the habit of doing what unsuccessful people don't like to do." 

The truth is that it's not as if successful people like to do them but they make it a habit because they realize it's the prize they have to pay for success. Brian Tracy said the exercise of self discipline strengthens every other discipline at the same time, just as every weakness in self discipline weakens every other discipline as well.

How To Build Self  Discipline

• Effective Thoughts: Aristotle once said that wisdom (the ability to make good decisions) is a combination of experience and reflection. To think effectively, you must learn to take time and meditate on important issues of your life. Spend at least sixty minutes meditating. This should become a regular practice. Try to jot down every detail of the problem you're facing. In most cases the solution comes as you write down the details.
• Focus On The End Result: This is one of the secrets of most successful men. The have the ability to deny themselves of the present pleasure in-order to achieve a greater reward in the future. They are much more concerned about the future than the immediate. For example when studying for as degree you will be willing to sacrifice the immediate pleasure for the end result when you know the worth of the degree. Why do nations borrow millions of dollars for oil exploration? It's simply because they know the worth of the end result. Therefore focusing on the end result is very important if we must sacrifice the immediate pleasure.

• Identify and Avoid Distractions: Distractions are things that take away your attention from what you're supposed to be doing. Something you must know about distraction is that they don't come as distractions, rather they present themselves as side attraction. It's when you fall for them they become distraction. A distraction can appear as a pleasant break. So, in-order to build self discipline, you must be able to identify distractions and avoid them.

• Master The Art of Self  Motivation: The only encouragement you are sure of getting any time and any-day is the one you give to yourself. Learning how to motivate yourself always is important when striving to achieve a goal. This can be done by finding inspiring tapes, books and movies to keep you on track.

• Kill The Habit of Making Excuses: If you're looking for excuses to be unproductive, you will definitely find as many as you want. George Washing Canver said ninety-nine percent of failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. Most people have the bad habit of making excuses because  it makes them feel good and comfortable. If you are really serious about building self discipline, you must learn to take responsibility and kill the habit of making excuses.