The Self-Discipline Challenge

"Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances." - Thomas Jefferson

Or if humorous quotes are your forte:

"I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end." - Margaret Thatcher

Did you ever commit to doing something but end up quitting because of the seemingly obvious indications in the decline on your progress? Or the feeling that you are not going anywhere?

At some point in your life, you may have felt the following:

• School is too hard and I am getting bad grades.
  
• Work is stressing me out and no one appreciates me.
  
• I try to lose weight but have seen no result.
  
• I keep putting off things that I need to get done around the house.
  
• I need to create a presentation for next week but I haven't started on it.
  
• I should be making that phone call soon.

Well, you are not alone.

I am not going to talk about motivation. I am going to talk about something that I believe is a far more important recipe to achieving your goals - discipline. All that discipline asks of you is your patience.

When you commit to doing something, there is usually a timeline and an action plan as to how you are going to complete it. You may have written them down, or you may have just made a mental note about it.

For example, you may have scheduled a vacation with the family months in advance and you cancel it a week for the event? Or you may have promised a friend to watch a movie tomorrow but ended up cancelling it an hour before the show?

Outside of legitimate excuses, the point is to try your best in completing these kinds of commitment. The shorter the timeline of the commitment, the easier it is to complete. The longer the timeline of the commitment, the hard it is to complete.

What I suggest is that you challenge yourself. Find out if you can achieve your commitments. Set a commitment today and don't worry about the progress until you are completely done. More often than not, you will be surprised to find pleasing results.

Build a mental habit that will help you get things done.