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My Formula For Developing Greater Discipline.

Andy Guise
Sep 4, 2018 · 6 min read

As someone who is very fond of setting goals and working towards accomplishing my goals I have had one particular struggle that has always held me back. The struggle is that of establishing discipline. Discipline, for me, is the missing ingredient in making or breaking my personal goals. When I find myself making great strides toward accomplishing the goals that I’ve set for myself it is because I have gotten myself into the habit of being disciplined in the areas that will support those particular goals. Discipline is more of a mental game than anything. It is a mindset that you need to get yourself into. Sometimes it is easy to be disciplined and other times it is an absolute drag; something that feels like it is sucking out every bit of energy that you have. For myself, I have created a simple formula for discipline that I’d like to share with you.

DISCIPLINE = Purpose + Plan + Consistency

It is really that simple. You need to know what you want. You need to create an action plan to work towards what you want. Then finally, you need to work you action plan every day until you reach your goal. That is discipline. Plain and simple. This has worked for me and it will work for you.

Purpose

Simply put, you must know the “Why” behind what you are doing if you want to be able to build lasting discipline. Over the past three months I have made large strides in creating more discipline in regards to my own health and fitness. I have been able to stick to a fairly vigorous lifting and workout schedule. I have made the decision that exercise is a must for me. It is very easy to not exercise. It is also easy to just do it. Make time for it. Go out and be active, each and every day.

I have found it much easier to develop the discipline to exercise because I am doing it for the right reasons. I have four very important reasons why being active and healthy is a must for myself. Their names are Jackson, Bennett, Elliott, and Lindsey. The first three are my sons and the last one is my wife. They all need a father and husband who is healthy, active, and can lead by example. I heard a saying that says, “Our kids will become who we are. Therefore, we should become who we want them to be.”

Having a hard time nailing down your exact “why” for the areas that you want to improve discipline? No problem. I would start by taking out a pen and some paper and begin to journal about it. List the top three reasons why YOU feel that you need to be more disciplined. Do this in the evening and then again in the morning. Do this for a few days until you begin to discover what your “why” is.

Once you have a solid “why,” a true and genuine purpose, and you’ve written it down, the next two steps will be much easier for you.

Plan

You now have a solid idea as to why you need to be more disciplined. This is good because your “why” speaks to you on a deeper emotional level. For me, my “why” for creating more discipline with my health and fitness is tied to my wife and my three boys. There is an emotional attachment that I feel when I think about being a healthy father and husband.

Now we must talk about “how” we are going to create more discipline. You need to create a well thought out, actionable plan before you begin. This can be though of as your road map to a more disciplined life.

In my own personal example, I have to create a schedule for how and when I am going to go exercise. Since I travel a lot, I look at where I am going to be and then plan my workouts based on what is available to me in certain cities. For example, this week I am going to be in San Diego, Austin, and San Francisco. I know that in San Diego I can go to a large gym that is only a few blocks from my hotel. Austin has a YMCA that I can pop into and when I am in San Francisco I always go for a long run out to the Golden Gate Bridge. I have my game plan set in advance. This is how I live a more disciplined life.

Another thing to think about are the kinds of habits that you may need to change. We all have certain habits that if we can change, we would be able to unlock all sorts of greatness. On the flip-side, maybe there are certain habits that you know you should adopt in order to take your plan to the next level. If you are in sales than maybe you need to increase the number of calls that you make each day. If you are prone to letting the morning get away from you than change your habit and create a powerful morning routine. For myself, as a way to unlock potential health benefits I have decided to undertake the One Year No Beer 28 day No Alcohol challenge. It is through changing small habits that the power of your plan can really take off. In your journal begin to ask yourself if there are any habits that you feel you should modify in order to give your plan a fighting chance.

One final note on developing your plan, and that is to find an accountability partner or an accountability group. When you surround yourself with like-minded people, who are interested in your GROWTH, then you will be setting yourself up for a tremendous amount of success.

Consistency

OK, so we have a solid reason, or “why,” for our need to develop more discipline. We also have a well thought out plan as to how we are going to create the discipline we desire. Finally, it is time to be consistent. This is where the rubber meets the road. If our plan is the road map, then being consistent is the journey. This is where things can and will become challenging. When you initially begin any new journey, it is generally an exciting time. However, your discipline is truly tested during those low moments. It is when you wake up tired or sore and you really do not feel like going to the gym, but you get out and start moving anyway. It is when you just made call after call and you are tired of rejection; you pick up the phone one more time and dial a new number. It is when you are that stay-at-home parent and your kids are fussy and whining that you put on a smile and go on to tackle another day. Consistency is where the hard work is. Consistency is where character is developed. Consistency is where discipline is won.

I mentioned above about the importance of having an accountability partner for your particular journey. I cannot overemphasize the importance of developing your tribe. By surrounding yourself with people who want you to succeed, chances are you will not give up. I think this is because we do not want to let other people down. If I decide to skip a workout and I am not accountable to anyone, than no one will know. If I have someone, or a group of people, who are part of my tribe than you better believe they will come after me if I skip that workout. To help maintain your consistency, you must consistently surround yourself with positive, growth-minded people.

Conclusion

In conclusion there is a simple formula that I use in order to help myself create more discipline in different areas of my life. I have found that Discipline is the sum total of having a strong Purpose along with a solid Plan, all done in a Consistent manner. If my purpose is the end result or goal, then my plan can be considered the road map and consistency is every step that is taken along the journey. By using this formula in different areas of my own life I have seen success in developing more discipline.

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