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Discipline is self-control. There are plenty of urges and forces that seek to control us today. But the most important control of all is self-control. Taking charge of your life, regardless of what’s happening around you or within you, exercising your freedom and power of choice to live YOUR life, not someone else’s, is the crucial task.
Self-control is essential to achieving your goals and dreams. Without it, you’ll be ruled and managed by someone else’s plan, making their dreams come true.
Who wants that kind of life?
Not us.
You don’t need much self-control to live an average, mediocre life.
But to live an extraordinary life, well, that takes self-control.
An interview of top athletes worldwide revealed something they all had in common: discipline. Self-control.
Self-control is a cornerstone of success.
But what happens when self-control is lacking? Here are five ways that a lack of discipline affects your life.
A Lack of Self-control Keeps You From Achieving AND Sustaining Your Goals
Without self-control, you’re easily distracted in the moment by what you want right now.
You don’t stay focused on your vision, so you don’t apply consistent action to make your dreams come true. You stop and start, stop and start, never making any real progress.
Of course, there’s more than meets the eye to that cycle of disappointment and frustration (like one’s self-image, for instance) but a lack of self-control guarantees failure.
Self-control is the management of your personal powers to stay the course despite life’s circumstances. You remain focused and disciplined; you’re in charge of your life, and you continue working consistently towards making your goals and dreams come true regardless of the situation.
According to Psychologists, people without self-control are okay with being “average” because they shy away from investing effort in strenuous, challenging activities to become more, do more, and have more. Why? Because strenuous activities are uncomfortable.
Growth, progress, and success require work and effort. You will encounter challenges. You will be tested. And you’ll sweat. There’s a kind of person who, for one reason or another, settles for a comfortable, average, mediocre lifestyle because the effort to become more than you are right now and to do more and have more causes too much discomfort, and they don’t like it.
Laziness appeals more to people who lack self-control because it’s comfortable and doesn’t make them sweat.
A Lack of Self-control Keeps You From Making Wise Decisions
Next-level living requires a different level of commitment than you have right now.
Next-level living isn’t an easy process; it’s not supposed to be.
Next-level living is something that’s chiseled and hewn within you first before you demonstrate it outwardly.
You will be tested. And it won’t be easy.
Your self-image and self-control must work together. When you crave to be more than you are right now, you will take inspired action even when you don’t feel like it. That’s self-control.
A person who lacks self-control won’t make the better choice in the moment if it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or downright hard.
For example, while the wellness and longevity benefits of regular physical activity are HUGE, it takes self-image and self-control to stay the course to make training a way of life.
A person who lacks self-control will skip exercising when they don’t feel like it.
A Lack of Self-control Reveals a Lack of Lack Inner Strength
Dr. Steve Peters, in his bestseller ‘The Chimp Paradox,’ says who we are right now is who we want to be. Personal development experts claim that who we are right now is a product of our decisions and choices over the last ninety days.
Our thoughts and choices, which come from our self-image and outlook, are keeping us from living the life we dream of.
Believe you’re worthy of the life you dream of living. Envision yourself living that life. And then live that way today with your decisions and choices. Make the better choice in the moment of decision by practicing self-control to protect the life you’re creating.
A Lack of Self-control Limits Your Chances Of Succeeding In Life
Goals and dreams that take planning, effort, and diligent action don’t come easily.
Achieving those goals takes inspiration, motivation, focus, hard work, self-control, and considerable effort.
A person who lacks self-control will always shy away from tough challenges because they upset the status quo by causing moments of discomfort. During those moments, we need to stop focusing on the sweat and stay focused on the outcome – the thing we want more than anything else.
Desire must be greater than discomfort.
The alternative is an average life that becomes less and less average as the months and years pass.
Nothing worthwhile is achieved effortlessly.
The journey to making worthy dreams come true is met with challenges and tests; transformation happens in the fire.
The difference between success and failure is our commitment to persevere and endure when faced with trying situations which are sure to come.
A Lack of Self-control Can Create Inferior or Unhealthy Relationships
Healthy, happy, enduring relationships require integrity, honesty, dependability, and loyalty. These are traits of good character, and good character results from many things, among which is self-control.
Character is tested and developed through challenges, which requires discipline, faith, and self-control. Good character takes the difficult path and does the hard thing when the easy path is calling our name.
It’s hard to forge good character when self-control is lacking, so you end up living a life of complacency and compromise.
Final Thoughts
If you feel that you’re a “little” lacking in self-control, I have good news; all is not lost.
You can teach yourself self-control starting today by setting small, easily achieved goals. For example, maybe you want to develop the habit of saving money. Get a jar or an envelope or something else, and choose to put a dollar in it every day for the next seven days, a quarter, or even 10 cents! The amount is irrelevant. It’s building the habit that’s important, which requires an alignment of your self-image, vision, and self-control to reach your goal.
Self-control can be learned and strengthened.
As your self-control “muscle” strengthens, choose a new level of goals to keep expanding your self-control.
Self-control is a major element of personal development and growth that improves every area of your life.
