I don’t know about you guys, but right now staying disciplined is not my bag. I have struggled to keep any sort of routine since Ms Rona started her world tour and I am tired of it. Between working, studying, building a (several?) brands, being a youth leader and all the other hats I wear – the need for discipline and order in my life is HIGH.
Discipline is defined as a standard of behaviour and is integral in everyones daily life. From waking up at a certain time to eating a certain way, it’s all linked with discipline. Basically, if you can master discipline – you can handle and achieve everything that life throws at you.
They say that it takes 21 days to create a habit (which I will definitely be experimenting with), 90 days to create a lifestyle – and the easiest way to build a habit is practice and repetition. Now I know 90 days trying to get yourself right seems daunting, but I promise you it’s easier than you think (I think lmao).
With it being a new year (because as we all know January is the trial month), I want to try harder to stay disciplined – because discipline will help me reach my goals and resolutions (that I am yet to set lol). So, since I know I am not the only one struggling with this, here are some of the things I’m going to try this year to stay disciplined and I hope they help you too.
1. Acknowledge What Stops You From Stay Disciplined
Often the easiest way to go forward is to look back – the same can be said for aiming to be more disciplined. I know that I struggle with procrastination a lot, always putting off to tomorrow what I could’ve definitely done today – and that’s understandably not good lmao.
Understanding what makes it hard to stay disciplined allows you to know where to target when trying to start building systems, routines and habits. It also allows for you to overcome the struggle better, as you can remove the temptations accordingly to stop yourself from potentially fumbling. An example of this could be getting rid of that snack drawer – you know, the one you think nobody knows about – in an attempt to start developing a healthier eating habit. But remember…
2. Simple Steps Build Habits
I know we’ve all heard of ‘SMART’ goals and targets, but I don’t think we actually apply it to our personal lives sometimes, when in actuality – you can, and you should. The problem I (and probably many of you) have, is that we set out goals for the month like walking 100km, saving £200+ a month or anything else – but we never break it up and then when it gets overwhelming we just give up.
Breaking down the goals into Smart, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound categories allows you to focus better and enables you to enlist strategies to help you reach these goals better. I don’t know about you, but I know a problem I have is trying to wake up at 5am, stretch, jog, do a devotional and shower all before 8:00am – on my first day of trying. Then when I subsequently flop, I give up and never try again lol. You have to…
it’s not really about how hard or often you fall, it’s about getting back up – every time Click To Tweet3. Be Kind to Yourself
Remember you are a work in progress. Every time you think you have it all figured out, you realise you don’t and to be honest, that’s okay! You can’t just wake up and decide you want a new routine and change and expect it to happen same day – trust me, I’ve tried. Life just doesn’t work that way. You are bound to have ups and downs, difficulties but also your fair share of successes. I know it gets harder seeing all your age mates seemly successful on the various timelines, but remember, comparison is the thief of joy!
What you need to remember is to keep pushing – it’s not really about how hard or often you fall, it’s about getting back up – every time. After set backs which cause you to fall, analyse what made you fall and then move on. Stewing in your feelings of disappointment or frustration doesn’t get you any closer to your goals or help you stay anymore disciplined than before. And when it seems too much to do on your own, you can always…
4. Seek Support
We seem to now live in a ‘born alone, die alone’ society, which obviously makes people feel less comfortable when it comes to seeking out help and support – which sucks. But this is why community, tribes, accountability partners (and all the other buzzwords the people in the newsletters use) is so important.
Do not be afraid to reach out to your friends, family or even your mentor (if you have one) for support when it comes to staying disciplined. When it comes to discipline remember it is a marathon, not a sprint – results always come when you work harder, not faster.
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I hope this blog put you onto something new, and that you’re able to stay disciplined all 2021.
“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”
Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)