By Virginia Mburu
Pendo turned……
And disturbed my dream.
That is me - Mwakazi. You must have
read about me in the previous articles such as “how to ‘lower’ your standards” Back to my story. I was in dream. In the dream I was a reading an
article on how best to exercise. I bet I am getting a message that I badly need
that exercise!
Peeping through the blankets, I noted the
sunrays and realized it was morning. I had overslept but then I
remembered it was a Sunday morning.
I turned. Something was disturbing my mind. The
previous day was my son’s prize giving day. I was late and missed his
presentation. This was not the first time and I kept chastising myself every
time.
Yesterday was no exception. I was not happy with
my performance or lack of it! Yet, I did not have a good reason for getting
late. When going home, he kept asking if I had seen how well he performed in
his presentation….
Going through the events, one word popped in my
mind—Discipline…..This is what I was lacking. It was critical that I
succeed in this area otherwise I will continue letting others and myself down.
I made a point of discussing this with my mentor
during our meeting next week. This self- defeating habit must go!
The mentor assisted me with 7 “must
have” tips that I share below. I also got to learn that most of the high
achievers are also likely to be highly disciplined as discipline is the
grandmother of success.
I was excited to understand that they are not
born disciplined since self-discipline is a learned behavior which requires
continuous daily practice and repetition. They will fail sometimes but they
quickly recover and continue with the journey.
The rest of us judge ourselves pretty harshly
when a lapse occurs thus forming a negative mindset.—that we are not
disciplined. You can get more strategies on how to deal with negative mindsets
in “My Inside Out Lifestyle Design” Program.
What about You- joining me in
this self-discipline journey and ultimately be counted among the high achievers
by following the steps below;
1. Be easy on you
You have just realized that some bolt needs
tightening… You are just about to save yourself from an “accident ahead”. Stop
the blame game and congratulate yourself for what you are about to ‘be and
do’ henceforth! Once you are done patting yourself on the back………
2. Consider all the positive
outcomes of the goals you have set for every role in your life
Visualize what achieving those goals means, the
happiness you experience, the accolades that come with it, the difference you
have made in your life, your business, your career, the community etc.
It is now so easy to make rational decisions and
follow through the execution. You are now doing things you previously was
reluctant to do and as such your self-respect has skyrocketed.
The stress levels are down, you physical and
mental health has improved. You now are closing more contracts,
acquiring more resources, uncovering more opportunities etc.
Don’t leave it there, convert what you have just
visualized into a document, place deadlines and publicly commit to achieving
those goals. Get an accountability partner or sign up a contract with a third
party- say book a venue for a launch.
You are left with no choice but to do what it
takes to hit the goal or breach the contract. Now that you are motivated by the
mere thought of the expected outcomes…..
3. Make a decision to
commit to the goal and devoted to execution
We cannot wait to enjoy the fruits of our
discipline. Thomas Edison said that , “genius is 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration” and now it’s time to start, execute,
follow-through and bring our goals to completion while strengthening our
discipline muscle. While at it…..
4. Make it easy
Make no mistake, discipline is tough as the new
habit development is a process not an event.
Remove all known barriers (physical,
physiological or mental) towards achievement of your goal.
- Do away with distractors and time wasters – those people, habits or activities that do not aid your goal achievement e.g. the unregulated chit- chats, social media, consumption of TV, gaming, unnecessary books/ newspaper reading etc. You are well advised to calculate how much your time is worth so that you can confidently gauge whether the activity you are undertaking is worth your worth
- Make baby steps as you build your self-discipline muscle…. Suppose your goal is to run the 21KM marathon in the next year. What about starting by jogging for 5 minutes week 1, 10 minutes week 2, 20 minutes week 3 etc. and add more exercises as you get more confident?. Start pushing your brain slowly out of the comfort zone by doing things you would not generally do or are reluctant to do e.g. use a different route, eat something you would otherwise not eat, visit a new place, give up your seat to that needy stranger, give up something you normally do e.g. that soda that goes with your meal etc. Also keep in mind that you will whatever you start you will initially return a ‘not so good’ performance but stick to it long enough and you will get good at it.
- Create an environment in which high self-discipline is supported. What if you combined the new activity with an activity you love doing so that you will initially concentrate on the enjoyable activity e.g. the jokes you share as you jog with a friend who has a common interest.
- Keep your energy levels high — Take care of all areas of your life- physical, emotional, spiritual etc., regularly take your recommended diet and take plenty of exercise
- Keep your emotions in check. Push/Force yourself to do what you do not want to do. It helps that you have clear outcomes though you at times do not feel like doing something every day despite the expected positive outcome
- Get a role model or mentor in the area you want to develop, get advice on how best to handle the situation, what works or what does not.
5. Develop a routine plus the
requisite support structures
Ever wondered why the military is called a
“disciplined force”. They have a routine they follow through every day no
matter what! Consistency is key. Schedule whatever needs to be done and make it
non-negotiable.
Ensure you have scheduled all the activities
that advance your business, career, personal development, spirituality, health
etc. Let the schedule be supported by requisite structures. Imagine a
primary school without a timetable or a bell! By the way, when will you……
6. Stop giving excuses for
your inaction and
ACT NOW and start rewarding yourself for the
small and major achievements. Start telling yourself the truth as to why you
did not do what was expected. No more the “I was held up in the jam”.
You are not likely to tell the truth (you
overslept since you turned in to bed at 4.00 a.m.) and thus get you to act
otherwise – After all, you would not want to be branded lazy, coward etc.
What about looking forward to the rewards you
get rather than the excuses? Which follows that you need to measure your
progress- set milestones and reward yourself for achieving the milestones.
As you track and reward progress remember that….
7. Failure is part of the
equation but not the result
Moreover, there are those who will be waiting to
push the failure down your throat. When it happens, be gentle with yourself,
ignore the naysayers, forgive yourself, learn the lesson and use the lesson
learned to improve the next decision.
Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;
- Have you ever found yourself in a situation similar to mine (lack of self- discipline)?
- How did you handle it?
Share with your experiences us in the comments
section below and help another Passionate Entrepreneur.
Whatever you do, make sure
it results in less work, more money and positive impact.
Update
Virginia Mburu
The Work Less, Make More Money Passionate Entrepreneurs
Coach
Virginia empowers and
motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She
then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management
and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make
more money and positively impact within one year. Download some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on www.biasharacoach.com
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