Have you ever wondered how that mom over there gets it all done or how your co-worker seems to be so ordered and clam all the time? Most of the time, when someone comes off as put together, it’s really just a matter of self-discipline. One of the biggest struggles I hear from folks when it comes to managing money is how they “wish” they could be more disciplined so they could stick to a budget.
But here’s the reality – discipline is not something that you’re born with. Discipline is something that you have to actively choose to do every.single.day. Now, I’m not going to pretend that I’m amazing and have all of this figured out because I don’t. But I have been working on my own self-discipline for years now and so I wanted to help out other fellow mamas out there struggling to make it happen.
1. Identify your weaknesses.
We all have weaknesses and if we identify them, we can prepare ourselves to avoid falling victim to them. For instance, I’m super tempted to go back to bed if my bed is unmade. I don’t know what it is, but if my bed is unmade, it just looks like it’s saying, “hey, girl, you didn’t really need to make those phone calls today or write that chapter in your book, just jump on in and take a snooze.”
So for me, I have to make sure that I make my bed every morning if I want to actually accomplish the things that I’ve set out to do. Maybe for you, if your goal is to stop snacking so much at work, you start by bringing an apple to work so if when that midday slump hits, you avoid heading to the vending machine and just eat the apple instead. Little things like that will make becoming more disciplined easier.
2. Set Goals
If you’re wanting to become more disciplined, you’re going to have to set clear goals. For instance, becoming debt-free doesn’t happen overnight. If you’re wanting to become debt-free, then you’re going to have a plan for it, execute the plan, and have the strength and discipline to achieve the goal. I go over this in more detail in my new book, Master Your Life.
3. It takes time.
You weren’t born with discipline, so remember that this whole process is going to take time. Give yourself grace whenever you stumble and remember to pick yourself back up and keep moving forward. Those goals you set are going to be achieved so long as you keep moving forward.
4. Take it one step at a time.
You know what they say about eating elephants…okay, that just sounded totally wrong, but you’ve probably heard that expression about if you’re going to eat an elephant, you have to do it one bite at a time. That is totally true with developing discipline. It’s a one step at a time kind of process. Pick one thing this month that you’ll work on – like maybe making the bed every morning or cleaning up the kitchen every evening. Get that down pack and then move on to another discipline.
5. Celebrate every win.
Every time you achieve your goal, even if it is just making the bed every morning, celebrate! Give yourself a pat on the back and jump up and down for joy because YOU DID IT! The more excited you get about achieving even your smallest goals, the better prepared you’ll be to keep your momentum going.
I’m a firm believer that self-discipline will carry you a long way. But I also know how challenging it is to cultivate a sense of discipline. If you’re looking to achieve your goals, I encourage you to start small and make it a daily habit so you can build upon your momentum. Comment below with a discipline habit that you’ve achieved!
And if you’re looking for more help with discipline, check out my new book, Master Your Life which is a pain-free guide to helping you develop more self-discipline in just 18 days.
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