3 Basic Steps to Master Willpower and Self-Discipline

Photo courtesy:  Steven Aitchison,Creator of Positive Life Affirmations

It was mid-January and the weather was quite cold. I wrapped my shoulders with a thin, white blanket, keeping my legs crossed to bring forth warmth. I can hear the chirping of birds and I can even smell petrichor which was perhaps an indication that it rained a couple of hours ago.

The feeling became nostalgic and I almost fell-out of bed hearing my 5 am alarm.

"Gosh! It's time."

I rose from my ever-tempting bed and performed my morning ritual (washing my face and gargling with mouthwash), made my bed and completed at least 40 crunches. I managed to drink a glass of warm water. All that in just 10 minutes.

***

Mastering a behavior is frankly... uhhggg... boring.
It takes time to learn the ropes.
You devour yourself an incredible amount of focus and effort to pull it off.

Ninety-seven perccent of the time, people quit. Why?
C'mon, who would want to wake up when your bed feels so warm, so comfy.

But the remaining three percent chose to make a decision. Even a simple task like waking up early, making your bed and drinking a glass of water can be very challenging. That's when willpower and self-discipline comes in. 

According to Phil Drolet of TheFeelGoodLifestyle.com, "Every single day, we're faced with countless little decisions like this one.

In these moments, we have to decide between what's good for us... and what's easy, comfortable, safe.

Individually, most of these decisions are fairly inconsequential.

But together they add up, they compound.

And it's the sum of all these micro-decisions that determines our destiny."

They are vital for success and for personal growth, and can make a great difference in your life.

                                                                    ***

I want this year to be a success for you--a smashing success--your open attitude toward learning and your diligence in putting willpower and self-discipline in anything you do will make this year the kind of success you want it to be. 

If you're one of those who procrastinates, Here are 3 basic ways on starting up and mastering willpower and self-discipline.

1. Recognizing your fragility

Photo Courtesy: Dreamstime

Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do stated that, "Too often people either try to pretend their weaknesses don't exist or they try to minimize the negative impact their bad habits have on their lives."

This is a misconception that almost all people have. You think you are competent in almost anything. 

Truth is, there is no monopoly of intelligence. You can't be good at everything. In fact, you can only be great at a few things. The sooner you realize this, the more quickly you could focus on your strengths and steer clear of your weaknesses.

Become aware of your undisciplined behavior and its consequences. And that's where you start. Understanding that you have your own weaknesses mean greater room for growth. And once you taste the power of a growth mindset, you'll embark on giving yourself an antidote for procrastination and laziness. That's willpower and self-discipline.

2. Making a plan

Photo courtesy: The Ultimate Guide to Business Plans

After determining your flaws, It's time to act. Jim Rohn famously said that, our results are only as good as our plan. If we start the process of change by developing a plan, doing something different the next year than we did the previous year, it won't matter how small those efforts are. Start doing different things with the same set of circumstances, the ones we've always had and cannot change, and see what miracles occur.

What I do is, I write all my activities in a journal and the time I should finish a certain task. Some people are very detail-oriented and are able to closely follow an intricate plan. Others are less detail-oriented, which is okay. What's important is you follow the plan that fits you.

Rohn added that you should establish times to spend on your plan. It might be every Sunday night. It might be 20 minutes each morning or at lunch, before bed. It might be in the car listening to CDs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Whatever it is, set the times and do it. In your step-by-step plan, put down points that you can accomplish every week. They should be specific and achievable. Develop the discipline and take those steps everyday, which will move you closer to your goals.

3. Setting SMART rules

Photo Courtesy: Joshua Hook's Rules: What's the Point?

Creating S.M.A.R.T goals, 

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

Let's examine each acronym.

Specific: A general goal would be, "Get in shape", but a specific goal would be, "Join a health club and jog 3 kilometers twice a week." More often than not, specific goals have a higher chance of being accomplished. Your goal should be clear and specific, otherwise you won't be able to focus your efforts or feel truly motivated to achieve it. When drafting your goal, try to answer the five "W" questions:

• What do I want to accomplish?
• Why is this goal important?
• Who is involved?
• Where is it located?
• Which resources or limits are involved?

Measurable: It's important to keep track of your progress. When measuring this, you reach your target dates, and experience the exhilaration of achievement that spurs you to continued effort require to reach your goal.

A measurable goal should address questions such as:

• How much?
• How many?
• How will I know when it is accomplished?

Attainable: Figuring out ways to achieve a goal can be challenging. You need to take into consideration the attitudes, the skills and the financial capacity to reach it.
You can attain most any goal you set when you plan your steps wisely and establish a time frame that allows you to carry out those steps.

Goals that may have seemed far away and out of reach eventually move closer and become attainable, not because your goals shrink, but because you grow and expand to match them.

Realistic: Gauging how low or how high your goal is must represent an objective toward which you're willing and be able to work.
For example, your goal is to become the head of the Marketing Department. You might need to ask yourself whether the skills required is based on your existing experience and qualifications. If yes, then you're setting yourself in a realistic goal.

Timely: Remember when we mentioned earlier about setting a timeframe for a specific job? Yes, we need a little pressure from the mighty Mr. Clock to tie up urgency to our goals. 
A time-bound goal will usually answer these questions:

• When?
• What can I do five months from now?
• What can I do two weeks from now?
• What can I  do today?

                                                               ***
Every goal has its setbacks. But with willpower and discipline, you lower the chances of not achieving your goals. Do not be trapped by The Law of Diminishing Intent. You need to do it now and set the discipline when the drive is still strong.

Jim Rohn coined that you must capture the emotion and put it into discipline activities and translate it into equity. All disciplines affect each other; everything affects everything.

That's why even the smallest action and the micro-decisions you make are very essential because the value and benefits that you receive from that one little action will inspire you to do the next one... until you reach that goal.

Again, you start from the basics, and make a foundation to achieve your goals by incorporating the willpower to act on it and the self-discipline to refuse the unnecessary and useless habits.