Self-discipline is about finding the inner strength and confidence to put one foot forward each and every day to achieve your goals. It’s about taking personal responsibility and doing what needs to be done.
The following are common bad habits killing your self-discipline and preventing you from being successful:
Having High Expectations of Others
Realistically, even as a boss (or a parent), you can only control yourself. Therefore, you should never have higher expectations of others than you would for yourself. You and only you must take action to get there.
Only Working or Starting When It Feels Right
Every day is different, and as a responsible adult, you have to learn to move forward even with life or things get uncomfortable. Of course, if you are really sick or haven’t taken any days off, then you should. However, if you are waiting for the stars to align perfectly to act, you might be waiting forever.
Allowing Your Emotions to Control You
In other words, you are more reactive than proactive. When you have a plan, you can’t allow your emotions to change from one day to the next. You need to be firm and learn to control them to get what you want from life.
When you are more proactive with your life and go after what you want, it’s unlikely you would have to deal with this too much anyways. As you control what you wish to and plan for obstacles ensuring you are not doing work you simply hate doing, you’ll succeed.
Too Much Focus on the “What Ifs” of the Future
You can’t control every outcome, but you can manage your efforts to get closer to the results you want. Worrying too much about if you will fail or if this will happen or that will happen will only cause anxiety and confusion that leads to inaction. Stalling any results that you hope to see.
While reflecting on your future to ensure you are going in the right direction, what if’s should never be your primary focus. What if’s need to be used as a measure or guideline to create the right goals and action steps. Your main focus should specifically be on your actions and what you can do to achieve your dreams.
Making Excuses
Lack of accountability and ownership for your actions, inactions, or mistakes equals stalled growth. You might as well settle for the life you have now if you can’t take responsibility for what you want.
It’s not your spouse’s fault that you can’t get on the right schedule, it’s not your competitions fault that they got your idea out first, it’s not your friend’s fault they didn’t encourage you, and it’s not the weathers’ fault that you can’t exercise, for a few examples. Your inability to understand your actual wants in life and the discipline required to get moving and take charge of your own life hold you back.
If you have a dream, then stop the excuses and start looking within yourself to act and get moving every day.