I Wish I Had Greater Self-Discipline (Part 2)

This week we will look at more ways to create new habits of thought, action and speech in order to improve yourself and reach your goals. Our selective training will serve to develop the skills needed for self-discipline.

It is helpful to focus on the long-term success/victory of your goal. Giving in may make you feel happy in the moment, but long-term happiness and contentment requires you to say no to immediate gratification. Remember, meeting long-term goals is accomplished by practicing self-discipline on a daily basis.

It’s how you recover from mistakes that is important – not that you don’t make them. The key is to acknowledge them, move on and resolve to do better next time. Use the consequences from your mistake to increase your resolve to do better the next time.

Self-discipline is knowing you can do something, but deciding you won’t. It’s the ability to maintain progress toward a goal even when you aren’t in the mood, when you don’t feel like making the effort, would enjoy doing or having something else, or finding the goal unpleasant. It’s ultimately about regulating your thoughts in order to control your emotions. We’ve mentioned that a lot – how negative thoughts and their resulting emotions lead you into negative behaviors.

Postpone temporary gratification in order to receive lasting rewards and gain greater self-respect. It extends to every part of your life – it masters your moods, tames your tongue, regulates your reactions, controls your calendar, manages your money, and bridles your body. Self-discipline is not limiting… it’s not punishment… it actually frees you up for greater things. However, like we said earlier, it isn’t a gift we receive passively. It’s active, and we need to exercise it.

The bottom line is that self-discipline isn’t something that comes easily, but is something you need to be pro-active about. You have to make choices. Don’t look at it as something like a life of drudgery or joylessness, but the key to finding liberating joy, health and happiness. It actually stifles your slavery to your own self-interest and the influence of other people around you. You get to control your outcomes and put your excuses to death.

Don’t quit. No matter what is going on around you or your circumstances in life, don’t let it be the thing that keeps you from attaining your goal. You may have to give yourself grace at times, but put to death any excuses you may come up with along the way – recognize them as that… excuses.

You know, I realized something several years ago when I was going through an extremely difficult time in my life. I was at a crossroads, and I had three options. I could be a victim (either of my life’s circumstances or of my own resulting emotional baggage) and blame someone else for my choices (which I did for several years); or I could play survivor and make it through the rough stuff, tossed around and washed up on shore all battered and bruised – never moving forward – just choosing not to engage (which I did for a few more years); or, I could be an overcomer by taking my hurt and pain and stop it from ruling my life and, instead, use it for good… do something productive with it. And with a lot of help from God, I did it.

It doesn’t take much to realize which one of those choices takes more work, but life on the other side is nothing short of amazing. Make the choice to be that overcomer and choose to go forward. Victims and survivors stay trapped. Once you overcome your circumstances (notice I didn’t say you’d be perfect), then you can help the other people in your life that need your help. You will give purpose to the very thing that kept you bound. You’ll never regret it if you do, but you will spend the rest of your life regretting it if you don’t. Just start somewhere.