Like everything else that brings progress, the greatest struggle is always with ourselves.
It may be hard to believe when you’re facing a hot-fudge sundae or the prospect of sleeping
in versus hitting the gym, but studies show that people with self-discipline are happier.
People with a higher degree of self-control spend less time debating whether or not to
indulge in behaviors that are detrimental to their health, and are able to make positive
decisions more easily. They don’t let impulses or feelings dictate their choices. Instead,
they make level-headed decisions. As a result, they tend to feel more satisfied with their
lives.
There are things you can do to learn self-discipline and gain the willpower to live a
happier life. If you are looking to take control of your habits and choices, here are the
eight most powerful things you can do to master self-discipline.
or technology like Facebook or the latest addictive game app, they have similar effects on us.
Acknowledge your shortcomings, whatever they may be. Too often people either try to pretend
their vulnerabilities don’t exist or cover up any pitfalls in their lives. Own up to your
flaws. You can’t overcome them until you do.
Like the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” It may seem silly, but this phrase offers
powerful advice. By simply removing your biggest temptations from your environment, you will
greatly improve your self-discipline.
If you want to eat healthier, toss the junk food in the trash. If you want to improve your
productivity at work, turn off social media notifications and silence your cell phone. The
fewer distractions you have, the more focused you will be on accomplishing your goals. Set
yourself up for success by ditching bad influences.
accomplish. You must also have an understanding of what success means to you. After all,
if you don’t know where you are going, it’s easy to lose your way or get sidetracked.
A clear plan outlines each step you must take in order to reach your goals. Figure out
who you are and what you are about. Create a mantra to keep yourself focused. Successful
people use this technique to stay on track and establish a clear finish line.
skill you want to master, it requires daily practice and repetition. Just like going to
the gym, willpower and self-discipline take a lot of work. The effort and focus that
self-discipline requires can be draining.
As time passes, it can become more and more difficult to keep your willpower in check.
The bigger the temptation or decision, the more challenging it can feel to tackle other
tasks that also require self-control. So work on building your self-discipline through
daily diligence.
especially if you focus on the entire task at hand. To avoid feeling intimidated, keep
it simple. Break your goal into small, doable steps. Instead of trying to change
everything at once, focus on doing one thing consistently and master self-discipline with
that goal in mind.
If you’re trying to get in shape, start by working out 10 or 15 minutes a day. If you’re
trying to achieve better sleep habits, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night.
If you want to eat healthier, start by prepping a bag lunch the night before to take with
you in the morning. Take baby steps. Eventually, when you’re ready, you can add more goals
to your list.
hungry—is real and can have a substantial impact on willpower. Research has proven that
low blood sugar often weakens a person’s resolve, making you grumpy and pessimistic.
When you’re hungry, your ability to concentrate suffers and your brain doesn’t function
as well. Your self-control is likely weakened in all areas, including diet, exercise, work
and relationships. So fuel up with healthy snacks and regular meals to keep yourself in check.
predetermined by their beliefs. If you believe you have a limited amount of willpower,
you probably won’t surpass those limits. If you don’t place a limit on your self-control,
you are less likely to exhaust yourself before meeting your goals.
In short, it may be that our internal conceptions about willpower and self-control determine
how much of them we have. If you can remove these subconscious obstacles and truly believe you
can do it, then you will give yourself an extra boost of motivation toward making those goals
a reality.
you give yourself a plan to deal with a potentially difficult situation you know you will likely
face. For instance, imagine that you’re working on eating healthier, but you’re on your way to a
party where food will be served.
Before you go, tell yourself that instead of diving into a plate of cheese and crackers, you will
sip a glass of water and focus on mingling. Going in with a plan will help give you the mindset
and the self-control necessary for the situation. You will also save energy by not having to make
a sudden decision based on your emotional state.
Just like when you were a little kid and got a treat for good behavior, having something to look
forward to gives you the motivation to succeed.
Anticipation is powerful. It gives you something to obsess over and focus on, so you’re not only
thinking of what you are trying to change. And when you achieve your goal, find a new goal and a
new reward to keep yourself moving forward.
You will have ups and downs, great successes and dismal failures. The key is to keep moving forward.
If you stumble, acknowledge what caused it and move on. Don’t let yourself get wrapped up in guilt,
anger or frustration, because these emotions will only drag you further down and impede future
progress. Learn from your missteps and forgive yourself. Then get your head back in the game and
refocus on your goals.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/287005
It may be hard to believe when you’re facing a hot-fudge sundae or the prospect of sleeping
in versus hitting the gym, but studies show that people with self-discipline are happier.
People with a higher degree of self-control spend less time debating whether or not to
indulge in behaviors that are detrimental to their health, and are able to make positive
decisions more easily. They don’t let impulses or feelings dictate their choices. Instead,
they make level-headed decisions. As a result, they tend to feel more satisfied with their
lives.
There are things you can do to learn self-discipline and gain the willpower to live a
happier life. If you are looking to take control of your habits and choices, here are the
eight most powerful things you can do to master self-discipline.
1. Know your weaknesses.
We all have weaknesses. Whether they’re snacks like potato chips or chocolate chip cookies,or technology like Facebook or the latest addictive game app, they have similar effects on us.
Acknowledge your shortcomings, whatever they may be. Too often people either try to pretend
their vulnerabilities don’t exist or cover up any pitfalls in their lives. Own up to your
flaws. You can’t overcome them until you do.
2. Remove temptations.
Like the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” It may seem silly, but this phrase offerspowerful advice. By simply removing your biggest temptations from your environment, you will
greatly improve your self-discipline.
If you want to eat healthier, toss the junk food in the trash. If you want to improve your
productivity at work, turn off social media notifications and silence your cell phone. The
fewer distractions you have, the more focused you will be on accomplishing your goals. Set
yourself up for success by ditching bad influences.
3. Set clear goals and have an execution plan.
If you hope to achieve self-discipline, you must have a clear vision of what you hope toaccomplish. You must also have an understanding of what success means to you. After all,
if you don’t know where you are going, it’s easy to lose your way or get sidetracked.
A clear plan outlines each step you must take in order to reach your goals. Figure out
who you are and what you are about. Create a mantra to keep yourself focused. Successful
people use this technique to stay on track and establish a clear finish line.
4. Build your self-discipline.
We aren’t born with self-discipline--it’s a learned behavior. And just like any otherskill you want to master, it requires daily practice and repetition. Just like going to
the gym, willpower and self-discipline take a lot of work. The effort and focus that
self-discipline requires can be draining.
As time passes, it can become more and more difficult to keep your willpower in check.
The bigger the temptation or decision, the more challenging it can feel to tackle other
tasks that also require self-control. So work on building your self-discipline through
daily diligence.
5. Create new habits by keeping it simple.
Acquiring self-discipline and working to instill a new habit can feel daunting at first,especially if you focus on the entire task at hand. To avoid feeling intimidated, keep
it simple. Break your goal into small, doable steps. Instead of trying to change
everything at once, focus on doing one thing consistently and master self-discipline with
that goal in mind.
If you’re trying to get in shape, start by working out 10 or 15 minutes a day. If you’re
trying to achieve better sleep habits, start by going to bed 15 minutes earlier each night.
If you want to eat healthier, start by prepping a bag lunch the night before to take with
you in the morning. Take baby steps. Eventually, when you’re ready, you can add more goals
to your list.
6. Eat often and healthy.
The feeling of being hangry--that angry, annoyed, irritated sensation you get when you’rehungry—is real and can have a substantial impact on willpower. Research has proven that
low blood sugar often weakens a person’s resolve, making you grumpy and pessimistic.
When you’re hungry, your ability to concentrate suffers and your brain doesn’t function
as well. Your self-control is likely weakened in all areas, including diet, exercise, work
and relationships. So fuel up with healthy snacks and regular meals to keep yourself in check.
7. Change your perception about willpower.
According to a study by Stanford University, the amount of willpower a person has ispredetermined by their beliefs. If you believe you have a limited amount of willpower,
you probably won’t surpass those limits. If you don’t place a limit on your self-control,
you are less likely to exhaust yourself before meeting your goals.
In short, it may be that our internal conceptions about willpower and self-control determine
how much of them we have. If you can remove these subconscious obstacles and truly believe you
can do it, then you will give yourself an extra boost of motivation toward making those goals
a reality.
8. Give yourself a backup plan.
Psychologists use a technique to boost willpower called “implementation intention.” That’s whenyou give yourself a plan to deal with a potentially difficult situation you know you will likely
face. For instance, imagine that you’re working on eating healthier, but you’re on your way to a
party where food will be served.
Before you go, tell yourself that instead of diving into a plate of cheese and crackers, you will
sip a glass of water and focus on mingling. Going in with a plan will help give you the mindset
and the self-control necessary for the situation. You will also save energy by not having to make
a sudden decision based on your emotional state.
9. Reward yourself.
Give yourself something to be excited about by planning a reward when you accomplish your goals.Just like when you were a little kid and got a treat for good behavior, having something to look
forward to gives you the motivation to succeed.
Anticipation is powerful. It gives you something to obsess over and focus on, so you’re not only
thinking of what you are trying to change. And when you achieve your goal, find a new goal and a
new reward to keep yourself moving forward.
10. Forgive yourself and move forward.
Even with all of our best intentions and well-laid plans, we sometimes fall short. It happens.You will have ups and downs, great successes and dismal failures. The key is to keep moving forward.
If you stumble, acknowledge what caused it and move on. Don’t let yourself get wrapped up in guilt,
anger or frustration, because these emotions will only drag you further down and impede future
progress. Learn from your missteps and forgive yourself. Then get your head back in the game and
refocus on your goals.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/287005
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