Rewarding Self-Discipline and Delayed Gratification

Setting up milestones for reaching your goals is important if you want to succeed. Equally important is setting up a reward system that allows you to enjoy and celebrate each milestone you’ve fulfilled. 

 

But what kind of reward should you give yourself? Should you go out and buy the latest $1,000 iPhone? Or would you settle for self-praise and a pat on the back for a job well done? 

 

The right reward for your hard work

 

Choosing the right reward is important if you don’t want all your hard work to go to waste. If you’ve worked hard, and succeeded, in losing 10 pounds over 2 months, then you don’t want to reward yourself by going to an all-you-can-eat restaurant. 

 

In fact, your self-discipline will dictate you to stay away from places that will encourage you to eat more than what’s good and healthy for you. 

 

Instead, you can reward yourself by buying a slice of chocolate cake just to get that sugar craving out of the way or you can choose to buy exercise equipment that will help you lose even more weight.

 

Achieve more with delayed gratification

 

When you’ve achieved a certain milestone, you might want to consider adopting a delayed gratification system. Instead of immediately rewarding yourself, try extending your reward to the next milestone. This is called delayed gratification.

 

For example, if you’re trying to lose weight and you’ve set every pound lost as a milestone, then you might want to consider making it 2 pounds instead. This means that when you’ve lost the first pound, you’ll be pushing yourself to lose the second pound quickly so you can finally get your reward (and no, you still shouldn’t reward yourself with an outing at your favorite buffet restaurant). 

 

Delaying gratification is a great exercise to push yourself to do even more. Your self-control and self-discipline will come into play and allow you to focus on completing more tasks so you can finally reward yourself. You just need to egg yourself on, encourage yourself to put one foot in front of the other because your destination is right around the corner. 

 

Lastly, it’s important to point that when practicing delayed gratification, you must have a ‘punishment’ in place as well. So, this means if you don’t achieve the milestone you’ve set for yourself, then you don’t get any reward. It’s really that simple. However, if you’re disciplined and committed, then you’ll do everything in your power to achieve your milestones and get your reward.

 

The Essence Of Adopting a Morning Ritual Habit

If you hate waking up early, then you need to read this article. According to research, creating good habits and sticking to a morning routine plays a huge role in your success. If you’re a night owl, unfortunately, this means you will have to find ways to adapt and change your lifestyle. 

 

Creating a morning routine and turning it into a habit may sound difficult at first. But if you keep at it every day for at least a month, you will start seeing noticeable differences in how you approach your entire day. A morning routine will help you feel more stable and you’ll be so much more in control of your day. 

 

It’s peaceful in the morning 

 

Early mornings don’t have as much distraction as other times of the day. Your family and your neighbors will still be in bed (unless they’ve also adopted this habit), there’ll be less noise on the streets, and your personal space will seem so much bigger. 

 

With less distraction, you’ll be able to think clearly and you’ll have time to exercise, meditate, pray, update your journal, and plan your entire day. 

A morning routine will help you feel more in control of your life and you won’t feel as disorganized as before simply because you will have time to think your day through and organize your activities. 

 

Simply put, your morning routine will set the tone for your day.

 

Get work done early

 

Mornings are best for getting your most difficult tasks done. Getting these tasks out of the way lets you enjoy relatively stress-free afternoons and you’ll be much happier because you can get more things done in the day. 

 

Your productivity levels will increase and you can even start working in advance on tasks that don’t need to be done until later.

 

When you get things done earlier and faster in the day, you can reward yourself for a job well done. Just be careful when rewarding yourself though as some rewards may actually be detrimental to your goals. 

 

For instance, if someone asks you to go partying on a weekday, you may want to tell them “No”. You may be tempted but think first if it’s going to somehow cause you to sleep in late and thus wake up late the following day. If this is the case, then simply decline. 

 

No amount of partying can replace what you can accomplish by sticking to, and religiously following, your morning routine habit!

 

Why Mental Strength Is Important For Self-Discipline

Mental strength significantly affects your self-discipline. In fact, there's a strong correlation between having a high level of self-discipline and being mentally strong.

 

Some studies even show that self-discipline is an essential attribute of people who earn more money since discipline is an underlying factor in achieving personal goals. Simply put, people who earn more often have high levels of self-discipline and the mental toughness to finish whatever they started and see it through to the end. 

 

If you find it difficult to discipline yourself, you might want to look first at developing mental strength. 

 

Mental strength lets you say no to temptations and excuses

 

If you don't have mental toughness, you'll find it easy to give in to temptations and distractions. You'll find it hard to meet your deadlines and your goals simply because you don't have the mental strength to reject temptations. You'll also make a habit out of making excuses for why you're missing deadlines. 

 

If you're mentally tough, then you won't have a problem saying "no" to anything that will distract you from reaching your goals. You'll also stop making excuses and instead do your best to tackle your situation head-on.

 

Mental strength lets you take good care of your body

 

If you are mentally strong, you know the value of taking good care of your body. You will not abuse it with alcohol and drugs. Neither will you allow yourself to be under too much stress. You will do everything in your power to make sure you remain in good health because without good health you won’t be able to work towards your goals. 

 

Mental strength lets you stay committed to your goal

 

In today’s fast-paced world, we can have our choice of anything we want. You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it. With that being said, if you don’t have mental strength, you will not be able to commit to any goal you’ll set for yourself. You will not be able to give your all because you’ll soon lose interest and you’ll soon start chasing another goal. If you’re mentally strong, you will plan out your steps and processes so you can reach your goal successfully. You won’t be like a white flag in the air flapping every which way the wind blows. Instead, your mental strength and your self-discipline will anchor you firmly to your goals.

Why Do Most Americans Fear Self-Discipline?

America is one of the most successful civilizations in history. That is not an understatement. Whether we're talking about material well-being, life expectancy and the general ability of any kind of government or society to provide for its people, America is at the top.

 

It is no slacker when it comes to cultural contributions as well as economic innovations. We're not even talking about technology here. That's how dynamic America has historically been.

 

But despite this rosy, shallow surface appearance, there are certain troubling trends that may undercut and, eventually, undermine and sabotage America's success. I am, of course, talking about the self-discipline crisis.

 

You have to remember that for the longest time, the biggest contributing factor to anybody's success in the United States is one’s ability to work hard. I'm not just talking about digging a ditch or doing any kind of manual labor. I'm talking about something bigger than that.

 

Believe it or not, even if you're working at an office and you haven't lifted a shovel in your life, you can still work hard. You work hard with your mind. In fact, if you think about it, this is harder than physical work. 

 

With physical work, there's no thinking involved. You just basically press a button, you dig a ditch, you work the levers of the machine that's assigned to you and you're good to go. You just repeat that several times over the course of 8 hours.

 

Well, if your job involves any kind of decision making, analysis or cross referencing, it can be hard because you have to make difficult decisions. These decisions are not inconsequential. They can translate to profit or loss.

 

I don't know about you, but I have yet to discover a private company that doesn't exist for profit. The only exceptions to this that I'm aware of are the government and non-profit organizations. But other than that, market-based companies, particularly private ones, need to make a profit.

 

This is why people are under a lot of stress and it has always been the American ethic to work hard. Whether you work with your muscles or with your brain, you have to work hard. Fair enough. 

 

But the problem is the way society has evolved to this point is that it undermines this core pillar of hard work. I'm talking about the self-discipline problem. 

 

If you live in a society where pizza is expected to be delivered in 15 minutes or it's free, you're going to have a problem. If you live in a society where after you click on some stuff on Amazon, you expect it to appear on your porch steps over night or, at the very latest, 2 days from now, you're going to have a problem with self-discipline.

 

Make no mistake. The greatest idol in America today is the idol of convenience. Everything is all about getting stuff right here, right now. We've completely forgotten about the virtue of delayed gratification. 

 

Make no mistake. Delayed gratification or the ability to work hard at something that seems like a chore and such a hassle today and then the next day and the day after that in the hopes of getting a big reward in the future is what built America.

 

This is the mindset of people. They have a long-term view. They're willing to make the necessary sacrifices now so as to enjoy a much better tomorrow.

 

Well, unfortunately, the culture has changed dramatically because we have placed such a heavy emphasis on convenience. It is no surprise that most Americans fear, if not outright hate, self-discipline. “Why can't I have my cake now? Why can't I eat the candy now? Why do I have to wait?”

 

Well, here's the problem. Anything that's worthwhile in life requires discipline, sacrifice and long-term focus. There is a serious disconnect between the cultural values of our society today and the values that we need to preserve the best things about our society.

 

Be part of the new wave of Americans who are developing sustainable self-discipline. Unfortunately, given the way our society is going, common sense is not all that common.

 

This Is The Main Reason Most Diets Fail

Make no mistake. Most diets currently on the market work. If they didn't work, those diet books on the shelves would've been pulled a long time ago. There would've been so many law suits, it would make your head spin.

 

These law suits would have one thing in common. They would all share their common refrain and that all these diet books and weight loss programs and systems are frauds. That's right. They're scams because deep down inside, their authors have crafted together seemingly plausible or believable diets that essentially do not work.

 

Of course, that's not happening. There are no law suits. Why? Most diets work! That's not the problem! If you go on those diets, you're not going to have a problem. You will lose weight. Maybe you'll lose 10 pounds after 10 days. Maybe you'll lose 20 pounds after a month.

 

That's not the issue. You can pretty much guarantee that if you follow those diets to the letter, you will lose weight. That's right. You will get what you came for. Here's the problem.

 

The problem comes after you stop the diet. Most of them are unsustainable. You think you lost 20 pounds and you feel good about yourself. You may be feeling really confident. There may be a little bit of extra spring in your step.

 

Well, I hate to break it to you, but eventually, all that weight will come back. Wait, it gets even worse. Not only do the pounds come back, but they will bring on extra pounds. That's right! After your diet, you’re probably going to weigh worse than when you began.

 

Isn't that adding insult to injury? Isn't that sad? Isn't that pathetic? Isn't that tragic? Well, this is the reason why the global weigh loss industry is a multi-billion-dollar juggernaut that refuses to slow down.

 

In fact, it continues to grow by billions and billions of dollars year after year. Guess what? You are part of that. Every time you buy a diet supplement or you sign up for a diet book or some sort of weight loss program, you are making sure that this global beast continues to grow, grow and grow.

 

The reason why most diets fail is actually quite obvious. It's one thing to tell you what to eat and what not to eat. It's very easy to instruct people as to the reason why they need to move around more so they can take their metabolism to the next level. It's very easy to coach people as to how to fix their metabolism so they burn a lot more calories.

 

But at the end of the day, if you do not have self-discipline, regardless of how well-crafted your weight loss program or system is, it will fail. It's only a matter of time. In fact, for some people, it happens sooner rather than later.

 

If you have been on one diet after another and you can't seem to make any kind of headway, do not invest on yet another diet book. Put your money aside. Hide your money. Stop thinking about the next magical food supplement that somehow, someway, makes all that fat magically burn off. Stop thinking that way.

 

Instead, focus on discipline. I know it's not sexy. In fact, a lot of people start developing cold sweats the moment they hear the word “discipline”. But you have to develop self-discipline. Otherwise, all the diets in the world are not going to help you.

 

All those pounds that you lost in the beginning will come back. Do yourself a big favor. Click here so you can get access to a plain, English guide to practical everyday self-discipline. It is not a mystery. In fact, it is common sense.

 

What's important is you focus on these steps so you can be well on your way to becoming a more disciplined person.

 

Fact: Either You Discipline Yourself Or Somebody Else Will

 

There are a lot of people in this world who think that authority is a problem. They really have a tough time with anybody or anything trying to exercise authority over them. These are rebellious people. You've seen all sorts of kids in public places telling their moms or dads off.

 

They just have a tough time with authority. Fair enough. You have an issue with people telling you what to do. You think you probably have a better idea of what you can do with your life. Again, fair enough.

 

But here's the problem. If you think that way, you have to accept responsibility for yourself. In other words, you have to have a better game plan or road map for your life than the people that you're turning your back on. You don't like the authority exercised over you by your father. You don't like the tone of the voice of your teacher. Again, fair enough.

 

But you better have a road map that will take you to where you want to go. Otherwise, you are just fooling yourself. The truth is if you refuse to be disciplined, somebody, eventually, will do it for you. And let me tell you, it's not going to have the graciousness, compassion and kindness of your parents. 

 

When your parents try to discipline you, please understand that they're disciplining you because they love you. They know all the bad things that can happen to you if you are not disciplined. They know that you can gain a lot of weight and essentially, your health will deteriorate at a certain point in the future.

 

They also know that without self-discipline, you might run afoul of the law. In fact, they know that without effective self-discipline, you probably won't be able to find a job, much less keep one. That's how important self-discipline is. 

 

Make no mistake about it. This is the cement that holds your life together. You might not like it, you might reject this fact, but all the rejection and discomfort in the world is not going to make this fact go away. It is the truth.

 

Self-discipline is required. It's required today the same way it was required yesterday and will be required long into the future. Until and unless you are able to wrap your mind around these central facts, you are going to position your life to a bad ending. No joke.

 

Again, you have to either discipline yourself or somebody else will do it for you. Just how bad can things get? Well, you can go to jail. And let me tell you, when you get into prison, you better tow the line, follow the rules or you will get infraction after infraction after infraction.

 

Now you may be thinking that these infractions are just points in some ledgers somewhere that doesn't really have any effect. Well, think again. The more infractions you have, the longer the chance that you will stay in jail.

 

You may be in there for a fairly minor crime punishable by your imprisonment. But given how you refuse to be disciplined and how you refuse to follow the rules, you might stay in prison for a much longer time.

 

Worse yet, if you're so undisciplined that you end up harming another inmate or you get into some sort of altercation so inmates harm you or whatever other situations may happen, your prison sentence can get longer and longer.

 

That's how discipline works. Either you have to discipline yourself or something or somebody else will. Believe me. Nobody can discipline you with as much kindness, love and understanding as the discipline you give yourself. 

 

This is why it's really important to practice discipline every single day. Sure, you don't like the way things are. Sure, there's always a short cut. Sure, you are uncomfortable with the things that you have to day in day out. 

 

In fact, in many cases, you feel like your life is some sort of routine that is just a punishment or it's as if you are going through an ordeal. You don't really think that you're doing the things that you want to do. Well, here's the problem. We're no longer kids.

 

Once you get past the age of 18, you're an adult and you're going to have to live with the consequences of your choices. Unfortunately, if you choose to be undisciplined, the consequences can be very harsh indeed. Regardless of how busy you are, you can choose to practice self-discipline right here, right now.