🌳 The Trick To Mastering Self-Discipline

QUOTE OF THE DAY

In simple terms, making mistakes is part of the process. As long as you don’t see failure as the end but as a step towards success, you will never fail

THE TRICK TO MASTERING SELF-DISCIPLINE

To become more disciplined, you need to crack 3 things:

• Outcomes

• Systems

• Identity

Outcomes

Self Discipline is not pushing through. It is when your highest desires rule your lesser desires. Why do you think athletes go through brutal training programs? Because of their higher desire, winning a competition rules their lesser desire which is comfort.

The reality is, most of us go through the motions. We know deep down we need to do specific things, be disciplined about this and that, but we don’t truly know why because we don’t pause enough to think. Most people who want to study more, don't know why they need to study more. They just know it's the right thing to do. But when you're having a crap day, not feeling like it, trust me, that won't be enough.

You need a strong why that can help you push through these tough times. To find a strong why, choose one that works for you. Forget about intrinsic vs extrinsic motivations and all of that. It could be proving other people wrong, it could be getting in shape to become more attractive.

Systems

Self-discipline is hard, let alone having terrible systems in place.

1. Avoid Overstimulation: We live in a world where we are constantly spiking our dopamine, overstimulating our brain with instant gratifications like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube videos, video games, or worse, porn. Do you really think that our brains are designed for that? Try meditating after playing video games, try reading a book after scrolling on TikTok, try it and let us know how it goes.

2. Remove Decision-Making Fatigue: There is a reason why Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and many top performers wear the same shirt every day. Decision-making is one of the most exhausting things for your brain so you need to minimize it as much as you can. Try to make decisions later in the day (including shopping), plan your day the night prior, and have a routine.

3. Do the hardest tasks first: Regardless if you are a morning person or night owl, or whatever. After whatever morning routine you have, make sure the first thing you do in your day is the hardest task. Those heavy tasks that you know you won't have the energy for later.

4. Surround yourself with the right influence: Surround yourself with people doing the habit: For instance, if you want to get disciplined and start working out, surround yourself with people who do that. You might say, my friends are all losers and I don’t have people around me. That's why we have the internet. You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with and the content you consume. If you want to start working out, watch tons of fitness content, listen to fitness podcasts, join online communities and embed yourself in that environment, I promise you, it is the same as having 5 people around you who are jacked.

Identity

You can become more disciplined by focusing on outcomes (that’s why the ‘why’ is powerful). You can become more disciplined by changing your process, but the most important part of having self-discipline is building your identity.

How you view yourself determines what habits you take or how self-disciplined you are. If your identity is a footballer, you won't skip football practice.

Compare the response of two people who quit smoking but are offered a cigarette: One says, no thanks, I am trying to quit. The other says, no thanks, I am not a smoker. You be the judge of who is more likely to smoke again.

The goal is not to go to the gym, but to become an athlete. It's not to read a book but to become a reader. Big difference.

Ok, so how do you have that identity? It's by doing the things that reinforce that identity. The more you go to the gym even when you don't feel like it, the more reinforcement you will have that you are mentally tough and don't succumb to your emotions. The more days pass by you don't smoke, the more you reinforce to yourself that you're a none smoker.

But one caveat here is you cannot fake it. You cannot tell yourself, oh I'm mentally tough when you're always lazy.

ACTIONABLE NEXT STEPS:

Re-read what you have just read and understand how to master self-discipline.

TAKEAWAYS:

Creating systems for your personal life that work well with the systems in your business is the ultimate productivity hack

BOOK OF THE WEEK ⤵️

The Book of the week is The Unfair Advantage by Hasan Kubba & Ash Ali, a book about how to discover your advantage in life, the thing that puts you above everyone else. It goes on to say that everyone has an unfair advantage, the difficult bit is figuring out what yours is and how to utilise it! Read it HERE

CREATOR OF THE WEEK ⤵️

The creator of the week is @Alexsedlak, a US-based creator that makes content for the modern man and woman. He talks about spirituality, wealth building, and personal development and tackles common problems in today’s society. He’s a creator that will open your eyes to things that would typically go over your head. Check him out HERE

LESSON OF THE DAY ⤵️

Exercising is the single best thing you can do for your mental health.

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