What would a big boost in Discipline do for you?
Probably the first thing you think of around discipline is how well you stick to your habits you know are good for you. Health. Money management. Wake up time. Staying off your phone. Important work and marketing. Keeping your space clean and organized. And all the other areas you want better results.
And that’s a strong place to start.
You also want to consider these 5 things when you elevate your discipline:
1. How clear are you about what you actually want?
Where do you want to be with your business or career? How do you want to manage or improve your health? Your waistline? Your body fat? How might you want to improve your communication and your relationships? What is the quality of your emotions? Where do you want your experience of life to grow next? Big questions! (Note: they are big questions for a reason and not to be avoided)
2. Be more intentional with your time
This is the only commodity you definitely cannot produce more of. So you better get clear on how you want to spend it. There are numerous systems for better time usage. But simply start simple by using your calendar for everything you do. Practice it. Change it. Get better at it. Follow it.
3. Keep your promises you make to yourself.
This one practice alone will boost your confidence big time! And you will get more of the stuff you want to get done, done! If you find you are having a hard time with this one, just choose smaller bite-sized actions. It may be that you are just being a bit too aggressive (perfectionist, anyone?) with the size of your commitments.
4. Emotional Regulation
Discipline requires the ability to stay calm and focused even when faced with conflict, setbacks, stress, or frustration. And remember, it’s not in the ‘easy’ times control is required… it’s in the 3% of the time when there is conflict and emotional tension that you will be tested. Be ready!
To be proactive, practice mindfulness, deep breathing, or journaling to maintain perspective and emotional balance.
In the heat of the moment, use a micro-pause to separate yourself from an emotional response, then get back into your cortex instead of your emotional mid-brain, and respond with composure. That is essential for respectful (and respected!) leadership and high performance.
5. Track something!
At the end of every day, track something! Whether it’s your energy, something related to your most important marketing activities or work projects, or maybe if you’re a keener, it’s your top 5 KPIs for work/personal performance.
But whatever it is – track something! In your notebook, in a spreadsheet, or in an app related to whatever activity you want to execute on. Track it.
And one last thought that came up in our Entrepreneurs Roundtable meeting yesterday that applies to all of the above – it’s from James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. It’s a rule that keeps me on track, accountable, and continuously improving – “Never miss twice!”
It’s such a powerful rule! It holds strong accountability and some grace for error in the same phrase. If you are working on elevating a habit or practice make sure you remember to never miss twice in a row. Or never make the same mistake twice in a row!
Elevate your discipline = Elevate your habits = Elevate your confidence = Elevate your results = Elevate your emotional quality = Elevate your life.
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