Everyone has an excuse, something they’d rather do, some way of rationalizing whatever it is they need at the time. Some people want to be fit but won’t put in the work. Others want to be successful, but won’t put in the work. Discipline is the game changer. If a person has mastered the art of discipline, the possibilities are endless.
There’s a variety of things that come to mind when thinking of the ultimate personality trait in order to be successful. For example, one might be inclined to say that knowledge is most important. Others might say consistency. But really there’s only one thing that matters; discipline. Discipline means taking action, doing the work. Knowledge without action is useless. Consistency won’t happen without discipline.
Let’s talk about motivation for a minute. Motivation is great and being motivated is great. Guess what’s better? Discipline. Doing something when you feel motivated to do it is one thing; doing something when you absolutely don’t want to is entirely different. Working out late at night because you didn’t have/make time earlier, getting up early to do some writing when you could easily sleep in, fixing something rather than putting it off; all of these things take discipline, and all of these things will take you further in life and yield positive results.
Discipline is hard to master, and it’s not for everyone. But the good news is it can be learned. Any good habit can be learned. Obviously it takes practice and it doesn’t happen overnight. Just make the conscious decision to start being more disciplined. I’m sure there are plenty of strategies. Perhaps write your goals down for the day the night before. Then let nothing stand in your way from getting them done. Maybe just take one small task and tell yourself you’re going to do it consistently every day. Then work up to more complicated or time consuming tasks. Some people get sort of addicted to the sense of accomplishment that discipline brings. That’s a healthy addiction for sure, but can take a bit of selfishness as well. Your loved ones are just going to have to understand that you’re working on yourself. You working on yourself will undoubtedly benefit everyone close to you but be prepared for them to hate you for it.
How many people in your life are lacking discipline? Likely 90% or better. Be the minority. Be the one who puts in the work, whether they want to or not. Results don’t care if you “feel like it.” Motivation is for the weak, discipline is for the unstoppable.