The Three Different People In Life And Why You Need To Choose The WHY Path

All human beings do the things that they do for a reason. They also avoid doing certain things for a reason as well. The reasons behind some of the things that we do are obvious. We eat because we are hungry and want to survive. We bathe because we don’t want to be dirty and smell bad.

 

But there are other things that we choose to do, or avoid doing, that have more complex reasons behind them. If you know someone that works a job that they really hate then have you ever wondered why they do this? The obvious answer that most people will come up with is “they need the money” or “they are desperate”.

 

But there are other reasons that can come into play here. Some people just don’t want the extra responsibility that comes from working a higher paid job. Others avoid applying for better jobs because they do not have the confidence and belief in themselves that they can do the job.

 

When you look at the overall population, we believe that there are three different types of people in this world. In this article we will examine these and explain why it is your interest to choose the WHY path. You will understand this more as we go along.

 

1. The Drifter People

 

This accounts for the vast majority of the population. They may have dead end jobs or they might have reasonably good jobs but they have no idea what they really want from life or which direction they are heading in. These people drift along in life and “go with the flow”. They don’t like change and are usually happy to be a drifter.

 

If you were to stop one of these people in the street and ask them what they really wanted in their life then they would not be able to tell you. They may come up with a few material things like a nice house and a car but they do not have any real plans.

 

Ask them where they want to be in the next 5 years and you will get a blank look. Most of them don’t know where they will be in the next 5 days. These people never set any goals for themselves with the exception of setting New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and other things that they never follow through on.

 

2. People that find themselves Stuck

 

These are a much smaller percentage of the population who are not happy with their current situation and want to change it. They want to identify and follow their true purpose in life but they are stuck trying to find it.

 

As a result of being stuck then tend to go off in all different directions searching for that thing that will make them fulfilled. This is better than being a drifter but very frustrating as you are largely relying on luck to find real meaning in your life.

 

3. People that know their real purpose in life

 

This is an even smaller percentage of people that have identified their true calling in life. The know exactly what their WHY is and they are driven to achieve it. They have goals and plans and work on them relentlessly every day.

 

We recommend that you choose the WHY path. When you discover your true WHY in life you can set the right goals and attain total fulfillment. Don’t let life dictate your future – take control right now and identify your true purpose in life and go after it.

 

Why Your Business Needs A WHY Statement

A WHY statement for a business is known as a “mission statement”. It is similar to a personal WHY statement in a number of ways. Having a good mission statement is important but most business owners don’t bother to create one. Or they write one for a business plan and then never look at it again.

 

Writing a good mission statement is essential. If it is done in a rush and doesn’t encapsulate all of the important things about your business then it is a complete waste of time. In this article we will explain why it is so important to create a strong mission statement and take the time and effort to do so.

 

It Provides Direction

 

A good mission statement will always clearly state the direction of a company. It will include the main goal of the business and this is important for customers, employees, suppliers and stakeholders to know.

 

As your business launches new products and services your customers and employees will understand why you have done that if you have a strong mission statement. They will see how they align with the direction that the company is heading in and will be more committed to them.

 

It will provide Employee Unification

 

In any company that has a number of different departments there is often a disconnect between them. These days many businesses outsource work to skilled freelancers and external companies and this makes the problem worse.

 

For example, if the company is planning to launch a new product, then it is very likely that most of the departments and a number of outsourcers and external companies will be involved. If no strong mission statement exists then there is a much higher chance of the overall goal of the project being lost on different people.

 

When you have a strong and explicit mission statement and you share this with all parties it makes it a lot easier for everybody working on the product launch project to see how they fit in and how important their role is.

 

A Mission Statement helps to maintain Focus

 

When a company grows and expands their reach it is often the case that both the bosses and the workers will lose their focus. If your business has a strong mission statement then this can be avoided. 

 

Loss of focus can really harm the reputation of a business. Its brand can suffer and so can its overall image. With a strong and explicit mission statement in place it will provide guidance to all during periods of growth. The mission statement will remind everyone of the main goal and help to keep its reputation intact.

 

Creating Accountability with a Mission Statement

 

Any business will exist to fulfill a specific purpose or need and this needs to be stated clearly in your mission statement. A business needs to be accountable so that it can continue to improve and serve its customers better. If the overall purpose of the business is unclear then it is going to be difficult, if not impossible, to make these improvements.

 

You need to make it clear in your mission statement what your business wants to accomplish. This will help to hold both the business owners and employees accountable and ensure that everyone is striving to achieve the same goal.

 

Getting The Best Results From Your WHY Statement

It is no easy task to identify your real purpose in life and write a compelling WHY statement that will drive you forward. In reality this is going to take a lot of time and effort to get it right. So when you make this kind of investment in your WHY statement you want to make sure that you get the most out of it afterwards.

 

In this article we will explain how you can do that. As soon as you have your WHY statement written you can start to do these things which will help to transform your life for the better. Don’t just write your WHY statement and then not take any action and follow through on it. If you don’t take action then there is no point writing your WHY statement.

 

Use your WHY Statement to set inspiring Goals

 

Only a small percentage of the population actually set goals. Some of these people choose to do this at New Year when they are in a drunken haze. We do not recommend this as it rarely works out well. Others will set goals with a clear head but they end up going for goals that they are not totally committed to and then fail to achieve them.

 

You may be wondering why anyone would set themselves goals that they are not really committed to. Well, it happens a lot and sometimes this can be other people influencing us to do something that seems like a good idea at the time.

 

For example, you may have a close friend that has decided that they want to climb Mount Everest. They put pressure on you to do this with them. You agree because you value their friendship but you do not really have any desire to start mountaineering.

 

You go to classes with your friend and soon lose interest. Your heart is not in it like theirs is. So, what do you do? Well, you may have to dream up some credible excuse why you cannot pursue this goal with them. Maybe lie about a physical problem that you have which prevents you from climbing mountains?

 

This kind of thing can be completely avoided when you have a clear and compelling WHY statement. You will have clarity about where you want to go with your life and there will be no need for you to be influenced by others.

 

It will be a lot easier for you to identify and set your goals when you have a powerful WHY statement. You will also be totally committed to achieving the goals because they are in line with your real purpose in life. It doesn’t get any better than that.

 

Let your WHY Statement Guide your Decision Making

 

Without truly knowing what your purpose in life is it will be very easy for you to make the wrong life choices. You will be vulnerable to any temptations that come your way and to ride the wave of the “next big thing”.

 

Most decisions that you need to think about have consequences. People that drift along aimlessly in life rarely consider these consequences and as a result end up living a life that they don’t want.

 

When you have a powerful WHY statement as a guide you will make a lot better decisions in your life. It doesn’t matter how big or small the decisions are you can use your WHY statement to guide you down the right road.

Do You Feel Guilty for Having Interests or Hobbies of Your Own?

The hustle culture surrounding you can sometimes make you feel guilty for having interests or hobbies of your own, especially if it takes you away from your career or your family. 

 

Sadly, this is truer for women than for men, but sadly, men are also catching up to being overworked like most women are these days. 

 

If you feel guilty for having interests or hobbies of your own, it's important to realize that well-rounded people have more than one passion, don't see non-money-making tasks as unproductive, and recognize the benefits of having more than one interest. 

You're Not Obligated to One Passion 

 

Over a lifetime, one person can have hundreds of passion projects and learning experiences related to having and developing interests and hobbies outside of their immediate job, family, or social circle. 

 

While you may not want to pursue too many hobbies at once due to finances and time, you don't have to stick to just one, and you don't have to stick to one your entire lifetime. It's okay to pursue one interest for a few months or years and then drop it for a while to do something else. 

You Don't Owe Anyone "Productivity" 

 

One issue that comes up for some people who want to pursue a hobby or an interest that is new to them is that they start to feel as if they're not productive enough. But here is the thing, your entire life is not about productivity. Sometimes your life is just about being and doing something you enjoy. There is value in doing things outside of building relationships, making money, and being consistent. 

 

Redefine productivity in your mind to do anything beneficial for yourself, not just for others, and not just to pad your bank account. You don't need to monetize every interest or hobby to make them worthwhile in your eyes or someone else's. 

 

The value of the hobby or interest may be intangible or something you can name. But the main thing that a hobby or interest needs to be is something you like to do that fills you with contentment and not something that adds stress to your life. 

There Are Many Benefits to Having More Interests 

 

Every interest or hobby you have offers benefits outside of what most people see as valuable. For example, a hobby or interest costs money and does not make money, and for some people may feel as if it's wasteful. 

 

However, if you have the budget for the hobby and the time for the hobby, and that hobby makes you feel good, the benefits it offers to help you build your self-esteem, feel more confident, and learn new things are also important. 

 

Having interests and hobbies outside of what you are doing now is a great thing to do if you have the time and the budget to do it. However, if you don't want to do these things, find a way to generate the income and free up the time to make it happen. You'll soon find that the benefits far exceed the costs.

Benefits of Compassion (Infographic)

Do These 5 Things to Make Sure You Stay Motivated

You’re midway through the project, and you’re losing interest. Motivation is about to go out the window, and you feel helpless to keep it. What can you do to stay motivated, so that you’re able to stay on track through the remainder of the project? Try these tips:

 

1. The first thing you need to do is to visualize your success. Before you go another step, you need to see yourself at the end of the project with everything accomplished to your satisfaction. Why? Because what we tell ourselves will happen – will happen exactly how we tell ourselves. So if you’re caught up in thoughts of failure, you’re already likely to crash and burn. Likewise, if you see yourself at the finish line, with the project completed, you’re much more likely actually to succeed. So keep a positive image in your head, and keep going.

 

2. Next, stop worrying. Yes, that’s easier said than done, but the more you worry, the more you’re going to derail not just your motivation, but any energy and enthusiasm you still had for the project. To do this, you’re going to have to look critically at what you’re doing and ask yourself if there are things you can change. If so – change them. If not, then let them go. Motivated people don’t get caught up in worry, but instead, they make it a habit of looking to the future.

 

3. If you intend to stay motivated, then you’re going to need to be consistent in action and in setting positive goals. Motivation flags when neglected, so to keep the energy where it’s going to do the project the best, you’ll want to make sure that you’re constantly moving forward. That means checking your motivation levels daily and then taking action to keep those levels up. Even if you’re taking the weekend off from work, you should take at least a few minutes to indulge in thoughts about your project, where you remind yourself that you’re looking forward to jumping back in on Monday morning. That keeps motivation and interest high even when you’re not working. 

 

4. If you’re still having trouble with motivation, check to see who’s hanging around. It could be that you have too many negative influences around you. Surround yourself with positive people, who are also highly motivated individuals. All that positive energy is bound to rub off on you!

 

5. Lastly, keep a positive environment where motivation can thrive. Listen to music that motivates. Use positive affirmations, read motivational books or listen to podcasts that make you want to jump right back into your project. A lot of staying motivation comes from feeding yourself with a steady diet of things that motivate.

 

Staying motivated doesn’t have to be an impossible task. Some attention to the details will keep you on track as you work and help you to get to the finish line. Be mindful of what you’re doing, and with a variety of positive influences, you’ll get to where you want to go.

 

Get After It And Get More Done With Tenacity And Perseverance

Let’s talk about tenacity and perseverance. In this day and age, they are quickly becoming virtues that are being more and more neglected. Whereas hard work and sticking to your guns was viewed as something desirable in days gone by, today anything demanding and strenuous is often frowned upon. 

 

It’s common for people to whine and complain when things get hard. We’re looking for the easy button and are usually able to find it. More often than not, the easy way out is simply to give up and do something else. 

 

As we’re losing our ability to be tenacious and persevere we’re losing out on a lot of good that comes from these vital virtues. We don’t feel the pride that comes with hard-earned success. We aren’t as productive and have gotten much better at distracting ourselves. We don’t get the huge boost in self-confidence one gets from accomplishing a seemingly insurmountable task. Could this be part of the reason we’re seeing more cases of depression? It’s possible. Feeling self-worth is an important part of being happy and fulfilled in life. 

 

The big question then is what can we, as individuals, do to bring back these vital virtues of tenacity and perseverance?

 

Start by practicing tenacity yourself on a daily basis. Get better at it and stop being distracted or giving up as much. Start small and keep working at it and getting better at it. Learn to persevere when things get hard and do them anyway. Set an example for those around you. Trust me, they will start to notice. 

 

In addition to setting a good example, share perseverance and tenacity with those around you. If you’re a parent, make it a point to teach your children. Make seeing tasks through to the end a requirement in your house. You’re teaching your kids important life skills that will serve them well throughout school and adulthood. 

 

Influence those around you. Require tenacity and perseverance when you work with others, teach them, or have them work for you. Practice tenacity and perseverance and expect the same from those around you. As they start to notice the many benefits that come from this, they will hopefully start to practice it more and ideally pass it on to others as well. 

 

Don’t be afraid to speak out when you see someone giving up too soon or getting distracted too easily. Tenacity and Perseverance are vital virtues that are worth bringing back. 

 

Do your part and watch your own life and that of those around you change for the better. You may not be able to change popular culture all by yourself, but you can change the culture of your family, your business, your workplace and your own small community for the better.

 

How to Push Through When You Want to Quit

We all want to throw our hands in the air and scream, “I quit,’ more than once in our lives. Yes, there are times when you should quit, such as working on something so hard, it seriously impacts your mental health. It is okay to quit, reset and rethink what you are doing, then go forward with a new plan. When you want to quit and there isn’t a life altering reason why you should, then look to the main reasons to buckle down and get at it.

 

Your starting point to understand why you need to push through the wall is pretty simple. It is called the, “Big Why?” Unless your big why is not fully understood, chances are you will quit. Taking the time to sit down and write out all the reasons why you shouldn’t quit, often will be enough to propel you forward. Ask yourself if you are doing this for you and why you deserve it. You might have a family and you look back on your childhood with some dismay. You want something much better for your family and it means so much to you, that putting in 16 hours days is more than worth it. 

 

To pump up that persistence muscle, you will occasionally have to reflect on the fact that there will be some serious roadblocks. Try sitting in a comfortable chair and look at the roadblocks, while asking yourself if they are super solid or are you blowing them up to the size of a mountain? Frequently we tend to take a situation and add in conversations and things that didn’t actually happen. Think about how many times, someone got you upset and you replayed the conversation over and over, with you giving different answers. The truth is, we can create worlds in our head, yet sometimes that world is full of anguish when it doesn’t have to be.

 

One way to stop projecting roadblocks in your mind, is to replay breakthrough events in your mind. These positive memories will make it hard for false roadblocks to grow. Everyone has breakthrough moments in their head. It may be simple ones, like struggling for two years in high school math but suddenly in the third year, a bright lightbulb comes on and you got it. It could also be more significant like trying for years to be the number one salesperson in your company, only to place 2nd. Then you turned that frustration into action and put in the hours and calls that made you number one. The feeling of hitting that huge goal and the pleasure of getting a massive bonus was truly exciting. 

 

For those who say they never had a breakthrough moment or have any memories of being a winner, then create one. Your brain cannot tell the difference between a real event and one you create if you put enough power into it. Simply write a scene where you had a serious roadblock and you “Hulked Up,” smashing the obstacle in your way. Put serious emotion into it, picture yourself, jumping up and down, screaming in a loud voice, “I did it!” When you replay this scene in your mind, it will be a real movie. Sports people do this all the time. The best free throwers in basketball, have a mental picture in their mind that supports them. They see and feel themselves stepping up to the line, bouncing the ball a few times before throwing it and boom! Nothing but net, no rim bouncers here in this mental replay. 

 

When overwhelm hits you and you’re trying to push through, stop and take a break. Detoxing your brain is super healthy, the same as detoxing your body. In this case, shut off your phone and all electronics. Get outdoors and play. It does not matter where you live or what you do, so long as you are moving and smiling. Give yourself one to three days and don’t think about why you wanted to quit. Simply detox. When you are ready, re-focus on what you want and why…then take massive action.

 

5 Ways to Keep Self-Doubt from Taking Over Your Dreams

If you could do anything, what would you choose?

 

We all have dreams. Every one of us. So why do so few of our dreams ever reach reality?

 

The problem comes when we get in our own way, or when we become crippled with fear of failure and thoughts of we can never be enough. This is the world of self-doubt, and it's a tough place to escape.

 

Until today. It's time to take back your life. Don't let self-doubt take over your dreams. Instead, try these simple tips to get your life back on track. 

 

Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

 

Ready to revisit history? Chances are you've had self-doubts before. But have any of those adverse outcomes ever come true? If so, were the consequences as bad as you'd thought they would be? Now think about the times that things went right. Remind yourself they likely will work out again this time too.

 

Keep a Journal

 

Ideally, a journal becomes a record of everything you've gone through. Write about the problems you're having. Write about how you solve those problems. Include everything. Then go back and read your journal sometimes for a reminder of what you've already gone through. Use this book for ideas on how to tackle the problems of today. 

 

Remember it's Not About You

 

If self-doubt is fuelled by a caustic remark from someone else, or in how someone treats you, take a step back from the emotional backlash. Before you get all fired up, remind yourself this is very likely more about the other person than you. You don't know what kind of day they're having or what they're going through. Take what they say with a grain of salt and move on. There's absolutely no reason to start doubting yourself just because of what someone else happened to say.

 

Readjust Expectations

 

Do you doubt yourself because you feel like you're on the wrong track? Here's where you need to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. There's nothing wrong with making adjustments to the plan. Dreams don't just happen from the initial blueprint. Sometimes you need to tweak things a little, especially if information or situations change. Rather than get hung up when this happens, look for ways to readjust the plan. You'll be back on track in no time.

 

Celebrate Wins

 

Self-doubt hates success. This is why it's so important to get in the habit of celebrating when things go right. It doesn't matter if the progress is small, make a point to enjoy the milestone all the same. After all, you and your dreams deserve it!

 

Helping Others to Be More Resilient

Are you a resilient person? Are you able to face challenges and not be afraid to do what it takes to solve them? If so, you are a prime candidate to help others do the same. 

 

People are capable of being resilient. However, for one reason or another, they are not. This lack of resilience can prevent them from facing life’s challenges. They will find themselves constantly struggling to stay ahead. As a resilient person, you can guide others to become more resilient. Helping in this way is rewarding, but not without its challenges.

 

When you find someone who is not resilient, you have to try to discover why. Get this person to talk about their lives. Unless you are a trained counselor, however, keep this activity at a high level. Don’t try to pry too much. You can only do so much to help people. They need to take action.

 

If there was a time that you were not as resilient as you are now, try to relate that experience. Think back to what was holding you back and use that as a guide. Also, try to remember how you overcame the problem. Your solutions can be the action steps you present to the people you are helping.

 

Learning how to be more resilient usually requires changes within, but this doesn’t happen overnight. So you will need to be patient. It may never happen, and you need to accept that. Not everyone deals with change the same. Some people cannot handle change at all which means you won’t be able to help them. It’s sad, but there’s not much you can do about it. Simply let them know you are available when they are ready, and leave it at that.

 

Help people accomplish small victories. The victories may be small, but they can set the stage for more challenging tasks later. Instead of trying to tackle something large and difficult, let them tackle something easy. When they see that the effort required wasn’t as bad as they thought, they may be ready for bigger challenges later. It’s okay to keep presenting the smaller ones until they get comfortable. Then you can increase the difficulty of the challenges.

 

When you have helped a few people, you may decide to turn the activity into a business. Many coaching businesses start this way. Of course, if you are just doing it because of the satisfaction of helping others, that is noble as well. It is something that can make you feel good about yourself.

 

Resilience Starts at an Early Age

If you want to be resilient, make sure you start at an early age. If this didn’t happen for you for some reason, don’t worry. You can still help yourself to be more resilient. However, when you start as early as childhood, it becomes part of you to the point where it’s natural.

 

Even if you weren’t taught to be resilient early on, there is no reason why you can’t help your kids become so. The main lesson is to make sure they follow through on whatever they start. Perhaps they want to join a sports team. Don’t let them quit midseason because this sends a bad message not only to your kid, but to the team, coaches, and other parents. Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, require your kid to play the entire season. He or she does not have to take it up again the following year if that is what you want to allow.

 

Kids should follow a routine. When they get in the habit of doing similar activities the same time each day, they will be more likely to complete whatever they are doing. Allocate time for homework as well as play. But, lazy hours should be allowed as well which are different. It’s time that your children can do whatever they please, including playing video games. 

 

When your kids are a bit older, and their subjects are more challenging, encourage them to form study groups. Study groups are a great way to interact with others and to solve common problems together. It also will force the group to complete what they set out to do. They will be resilient when doing this.

 

Set aside time for exercise for you and your kids. You could take them on a hike, or you can play sports with them. It’s a great way to get involved as a family and get the needed exercise for both you and your kids. When people are in good shape, they will be more resilient at many tasks compared to people who are out-of-shape. This resilience includes mental activities as well.

 

Getting a start early in life is a great way for people to become resilient. They get used to following through to the point where it doesn’t make sense not to. It gives them more years to work with, more than if they start out later in life. Also, we know that habits started early in life tend to carry through to adulthood.

Resiliency and Positivity Go Hand-in-Hand

It’s hard to imagine being resilient without being positive. Some people can be resilient in their negativity. However, in the long run, that negative behavior will sap the energy out of them. You cannot thrive for very long in an environment filled with negativity. You will lose resiliency in this environment.

 

When you project a positive outlook, others will follow along. People are attracted to this outlook and will want to make it continue. While some people will be attracted to others who are negative, on the whole, they prefer positive people. When this happens, you will be resilient by bringing others along.

 

When you are positive, you are more likely to look for solutions to problems. When you are negative, you are more likely to look for excuses. How can you be resilient when you are looking for excuses? Nothing will get done which means you will hold yourself (and others) back. Plus, if you are one to look for excuses constantly, others will catch onto this and avoid you. If you do this in your job, it could eventually lead to your dismissal. After being fired from your job, there's no way you can be resilient.

 

Being positive doesn’t mean you should never complain. Sometimes, you need to point out weaknesses where you know they exist. However, positive people tend to offer up alternatives which make them part of the solution. Imagine if several such people offered up alternatives. Solutions would surface quickly, wouldn’t they? Contrast this to excuse makers. They will never find solutions. 

 

It’s believed that people with positive attitudes have a greater chance at beating life-threatening diseases as well. Your body has the best mechanisms available to fight diseases, even better than medications. If you are positive about your outlook, it will set your body to the optimal conditions that should help you battle those diseases. Even if this weren’t true, it certainly is better than being negative, which increases stress. Stress has been proven to block the disease-fighting aspects of your body.

 

Think back to positive and negative times in your life. When were you happier, negative or positive? It’s likely that you chose positive times as being happier. It’s also likely that you were the most productive during this time. By extension, being productive means you were resilient. It all came from that positive attitude.

How Accountability Can Help You with Self-Discipline

Many people think self-discipline means doing it all on your own, but it does not mean that at all. In fact, having a coach, or a group, or an accountability partner can really help you to develop more discipline. 

 

An example would be when someone puts off housework until they know someone is coming over, and they race around to get the house all tidy before their visitor arrives. It is far easier to give in and be less disciplined when you just have yourself in the picture. When you have a person or people hold you accountable though, you are far more likely to make sure it happens. 

 

An accountability partner is someone you set up a contract with to hold each other accountable for reaching goals. This is a mutual pact and is probably the easiest to set up. The goals do not have to be the same ones, the point is to connect on a regular basis, often once a week, and share with each other how much you have accomplished. The best way to do this is to break up the task into daily chunks and do each one each day so that you are not trying to finish up the project the night before you meet with your accountability partner. 

 

It is often easier to schedule a meeting with one other person than a group of people. You also usually do not have to pay for this method, and most masterminds and coaches are paid programs. You also have more flexibility in how you meet with an accountability partner. You can just call them on the phone, or use an instant messaging program, You could meet for lunch once a week at a restaurant, or at your house. 

 

You may prefer joining a group like a mastermind instead of just a one on one accountability partner. The advantage to having a group is additional pressure on you not to let the whole group down, and the fact when you run across an obstacle, the group can help brainstorm ideas to help you out. Two heads may be better than one, but sometimes multiple heads are much better than just two. 

 

You may find that you want some one on one coaching, or small group coaching instead, to keep you accountable. Maybe you are trying something new and need teaching as well as the connection. One on one coaching tends to be the most expensive option since you are taking up a lot of the time of your coach. Group coaching is becoming far more available because it allows the coach to help more people at the same time, plus gives the advantage of having other people that can help you out with specific issues, like a mastermind. They also usually cost a lot less than one on one coaching so may be more in your budget. Whatever method or methods you use, remember you still have to be disciplined for them to work.

 

Benefits of Developing Discipline

 

When you develop self-discipline, you have many beneficial results. These include a sense of accomplishment, more self-respect, and a better understanding of what you can do. 

 

Discipline is not always easy, but it is well worth it. When you set goals and work on them every day until you accomplish the goal, you feel proud of yourself. Not only because you accomplished the goal, but because you did not quit. You stuck with your goals and made them happen. Think back to when you had a goal and worked on it every day until it was done. How did you feel? 

 

When you discipline yourself to accomplish a goal, you also increase your self-respect. Think of the people you have the most respect for, and why you respect them. Chances are one of those reasons is that they have self-discipline. They set out to do something and they accomplish it. 

 

By doing the same for yourself, you can have more respect for who you are as a person. When you do not use self-discipline, you will feel less respect for yourself. You will find that you have lower self-esteem as well, and are more likely to fall into negativity. 

 

You learn more of what you can do. When you set goals and challenge yourself to meet them, you need to follow through with discipline, When you do that, you will find out that you can overcome obstacles that you might have thought were too difficult, You learn more about who you are and what you can accomplish when you set your mind to it. 

 

A lot of times people put limitations on themselves that are not really accurate. Think about something you think is not possible. Is it really impossible or are you setting a limitation that is artificial? One way to find out is to set a goal and make it happen. Obviously, if you are a couch potato, you cannot immediately run a marathon, but over time as you build up your body with increasingly more intense exercise, you can. 

 

Now it is your turn. Figure out a goal that you want to do, and set up milestones along the way. Then each day do something to make those milestones happen. It does not have to be anything major, just one more small step on the way to your final goal. When you reach that final goal, take stock of how you feel about yourself and what you are capable of doing. 

 

Using Challenges to Develop More Discipline

One way you can develop more discipline is to use challenges. This makes it more like a game and less like a chore. Also, there can be the element of competition with others and having others help hold you accountable which improves your odds of success. 

 

Challenges are very popular and you can find them in many places. Or you can make up your own and share it with a group of people. You also can make your own challenge or use one from someone else to just challenge yourself. However, you end up doing it is up to you. 

 

When looking to see if a challenge will be useful to you, there are some factors to look for, so you can best benefit. Is the challenge realistic? You want to stretch yourself, but not to the point where you have no chance of success. For example, you could challenge yourself to lose 30 pounds in 30 days, but that is not very realistic. You also want the challenge to not be too easy. You need to see if you have the time to devote to it. Be sure to include time for learning new things. For example, if you challenge yourself to build a new blogging website in 30 days, remember that if you have never done one before, you will have to learn some things and that will be extra time above just writing the blog posts, 

 

If the challenge is a large one over a longer period of time, are there clear-cut milestones along the way to help you have a sense of accomplishment? If your challenge, for example, is losing 60 pounds in a year, you need to set up smaller weight goals along the way so you can keep up the momentum. Milestones also help you see if you need to tweak the challenge, either lower or higher. If you lose 10 pounds in about 2 months, you are right on schedule. If you have only lost 5 pounds in that same time period, though, you may need to lower the amount you plan on losing in a year. Now if you lose 15 pounds in 2 months, you may want to raise the amount you plan on losing in a year or cut the time down to say 10 months. 

 

When you do a group challenge, you have some added benefits. There is a sense of camaraderie when working together on a goal that you do not get just competing with yourself. Other people can give you ideas, too. For example, if you are in a group losing weight, people can share healthy recipes and support. Just remember that the primary person you are in competition with is not the others, but yourself and you can really enjoy doing a group challenge.

 

Discipline in Bite Sized Steps

One of the ways that people struggle with developing self-discipline, is trying to make too many changes at once. Not just by doing more than one goal at a time, but by making those goals way too large. Either of these approaches tend to lead to failure. 

 

An example of too many goals at once might be someone choosing to quit smoking, go on a diet, exercise regularly, build a successful business, and get out of debt. All of these are good goals that can be done. If you try to do them all at once, though, you will probably find it to be too much and quit. This is one of the reasons why resolutions rarely work out. Instead, focus on one or two of these for at least 1 to 2 months and make them consistently a new habit first, before tackling new goals.

 

For example, take quitting smoking, you might start with that one since it has the most negative impact both on health and finances. So you might start with just quitting smoking. You could spend a couple of months getting rid of the cigarettes and using aids like the nicotine patch to help. Then once you have completely quit smoking and no longer need the patch, you can move on to the next goal or goals on your list. 

 

You may find changing your diet and exercising more to be really overwhelming goals because they are huge ones. So, another tactic to help you with discipline is to break them down into smaller goals. Instead of just quitting overeating, maybe you break it down into this week you cut your soda intake in half, then week two you cut it out completely. If you do this week by week making one SMALL change, you may find it easier to stay in control. 

 

Another way you can break it down is by intensity. So say you want to exercise more, but you have not exercised in years. If you start with something like a full workout, you may give up or get injured and then be unable to exercise at all. So instead of going full tilt, you can start by doing mini workouts at a lower intensity for a few days, and over time add more minutes to your workout until you reach at least 20 to 30 minutes of activity. You can also over time increase the intensity of your workout as you get stronger and in better shape. 

 

By breaking down the goals into bite-sized steps, you can make it easier to develop the discipline you need to accomplish them. You will also improve the chances of success in changing your habits.

 

Discipline is Empowering

You may think that developing discipline is about limitations. This thought has probably been reinforced by previous attempts at changing your bad habits. Actually, it can be very empowering to develop discipline. Think back to when you managed to make a change in behavior that was successful, how did you feel? When you overcome obstacles in your path, and accomplish something with consistent work, you feel like you can do anything. 

 

When you are not self-disciplined, you often do not accomplish your goals and feel like you are not worthwhile. You tend to put yourself down more and in general have a more negative outlook on life. You may set yourself up for health issues, in particular those related to obesity, or have trouble in your relationships with friends and family. 

 

Successful people do not get there just because of luck. They make goals, plan how to achieve them, and then develop the discipline to accomplish those goals and plans. They do fail, they do have obstacles, they may even modify the goals or go in a different direction based on working on those original plans. 

 

If you want to succeed, you need self-discipline. You may want to get rid of bad habits like smoking, gambling, and overeating. You may want to form good habits such as exercising, reducing clutter, reading more books, watching less television, or saving money. You can accomplish these habit changes if you focus on one or two at a time, and consistently act on those goals over time. One is best, though if you are trying to lose weight, you may find it better to combine dietary changes with exercise. 

 

The biggest obstacle to discipline is not lack of willpower, but a desire for instant gratification. Especially in modern society, everything seems to be focused on having things done quickly. People eat instant oatmeal or cold cereal instead of having a cooked breakfast. You grab a burger at a fast-food restaurant instead of bringing a healthy lunch to work. Television commercials tell you that you can have this or that right now, if you pay by credit card. The problem with that of course is the interest you later have to pay on those purchases. 

 

You can improve things where you are not in debt, are healthy and fit, and have stable relationships, but it will require giving up instant gratification, and adopting self-discipline. It will not always be easy, but you will find it quite empowering to achieve your goals for a better life.