Cultivating The Trait Of Self Discipline 

• Anyone can learn how to become more disciplined.
• Short term gratification destroys self discipline.
• Always think long term, and plan well ahead!

Often when people hear the term self discipline it conjures up grueling effort, long struggles and doing things they don’t really want to do. However, self discipline does not have to be this way!

In this series of articles, I am going to be taking a detailed look at how to improve your level of self discipline, and how to develop self discipline.

Why is this important? Well, self discipline will allow you to achieve those things you have always wanted to do, but for whatever reason, never got round to doing them.

Learning how to cultivate the trait of self discipline is therefore one of the most important success skills you can develop, and something you must seriously work on if you currently feel you lack self discipline in life.

Don’t worry if you currently lack self discipline though. Nobody is born with self discipline, and therefore it is a skill that anyone can learn.

What Is Self Discipline?

If you were to ask 10 people what self discipline means, you would probably get 10 different answers. Some refer to it as a “power within” that enables them to solve problems.

Others have called it the power to stick with an objective, even when you lack the motivation to do it. Whilst others simply refer to it as the ability to overcome laziness and get on with the job.

However, I like to think of self discipline as the ability to do what you know you should do, whether you feel like it or not.

This means that when you have something to do, you do it, regardless of whether you like it or not. Just think for a second how much your life would change if you were able to do this!

Of course, this is easy to say. And there are many factors which can stop you leading a disciplined life. But once you begin to explore and understand the reasons why a person may lack discipline in their life, you immediately gain more power to develop and maintain a self disciplined life. Remember, knowledge is power (but only if you actively use it!)

A Common Reason Why People Lack Self Discipline

A common personality characteristic is the desire for immediate short term gratification. This means that rather than waiting for something to happen in the future, most people prefer to have or experience something right now. Without waiting.

This short term mentality causes people not to see the “bigger picture”, and as a result they tend to focus on the pleasure or pain they will immediately experience. Rather than the long term benefits they may receive.

Projecting Yourself Into The Future

So how does this relate to self discipline? Well, you will find that virtually all high achievers whether they be in sales, management, athletics or any other profession, all have a tendency to think in a long term perspective.

The Chinese are well known for this and tend to plan in decades, rather than years or months like people from western countries.

These highly disciplined high achievers set themselves goals, and then project themselves into the future by visualising their goals as already accomplished.

They can see what others will do and say to them as a result of their hard work.

They can feel the emotions and satisfaction they will experience, and this drives them forward and motivates them to work hard with the promise of a longer term gain.

This ability to mentally project oneself is a key factor in developing self discipline, and also what separates successful people from unsuccessful people.

A good example of this which everyone should be able to relate to is school. At school you have 2 choices. Work hard and get good grades. Or have fun and don’t put much effort into your work.

Of course having fun would be everyone’s choice, as this satisfies our natural need for immediate gratification. However immediate gratification often comes at the expense of long term failure. Which in this case, would most likely result in a lifetime of unsatisfying and unfulfilling work in adult life.

Think Long Term!

If you want to develop self discipline in your life you need to start thinking in a longer term perspective. What you do today, will affect your life in one way or another in the future.

You are quite literally paving the road you will travel upon with the actions you take today.

So next time you find yourself wanting to satisfy an immediate need, stop, and think about the long term consequences of what you are doing.

To practice this technique do what the high achievers do. Project yourself into the future. Visualise the benefits or rewards you will receive, and discipline yourself not to satisfy your natural preference for what is fun and easy, over that which is hard or boring.