There are a few key factors to making sure you are well disciplined. This is a quick guide that you could read volumes about. Keeping it simple is going to make the biggest difference for now. These three components are easy to understand and apply immediately. So let’s get to it.
- Objective
- Damage control
- Prevention/ removal of toxicity.
The North Star
Hopefully you have goals, if not, then lets get some! No matter how banal, cliche or superficial they might seem, that’s your north star.
The factor that helps guide your self discipline is knowing your purpose. As the saying goes,
He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.
-Friedrich Nietzsche
That quote also applies to your physical training. Basic goals would be things like weight loss or muscle gain. More nuanced goals would be akin to “ I want to have more force when jumping to dunk a ball”. The more specific, the better.
Damage control
You could be injured or have absolutely no time. It happens. So what do you do when you know you need a good workout?
Don’t let everything your doing fail because one thing fails. If your diet starts to waver, work a little hard in the gym and get back on the horse. Know that temptation is going to be waiting for you all the time when it comes to laziness. You have to to treat yourself well, too. Moderation isn’t the only answer but it’s the best one.
Forgiving yourself is one part and getting back on the horse is the other
We all have been in dicey situations that didn’t grant us the time for a trip to whole foods. Get what you can, minimize the damage. You don’t have to have the fries and shake.There will be times that you can be forced off the wagon. Forgiving yourself is one part and getting back on the horse is the other. Learning Damage control and testing your discipline from time to time helps a lot.
Toxicity
Increasing your odds of success makes sense when you consider yourself an investment. Most people have friends and family that are the cheerleaders of your life, but some of us have friends, places, and things that aren’t commensurate with your goals. Limiting your time with these people is a way of increasing the odds you reach your goal. The north star.
The buddy that would love to work out with you is the one you hang out with more
You can’t underestimate the power that achievement has, to lift you up when your chips are down. Having toxic people, places or things in your sphere of influence, is simply counter productive to that possibility. Don’t go scorched earth on your entire life, but instead, hedge your bets by doubling down on your assets. The buddy that would love to work out with you is the one you hang out with more. If your mom is the only one that asks you what you did in the gym today, that’s who you talk to.
These tips are just a quick and easy answer. This topic could easily be expanded but brevity is king these days. And for that world we have to be more diligent and disciplined than ever. Discipline is the deciding factor for hard work turning into success. The real work isn’t the physical part. Your body will always show up to game day, if your brain is in the game first. If you aren’t very disciplined now, start now. If you mess it up, dust yourself off quick and go again.
Remember, to work hard, experiment and have fun!
