Discipline consistently applied

"At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: 'I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?' —But it’s nicer here.… So you were born to feel 'nice'? Instead of doing things and experiencing them? Don’t you see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders and bees going about their individual tasks, putting the world in order, as best they can? And you’re not willing to do your job as a human being? Why aren’t you running to do what your nature demands?"

Marcus Aurelius - Meditations

Discipline is one of those words that gets thrown around a lot without much explanation. People tend to think of discipline as something you either have or don't, but it's more about how you approach your work than anything else. Discipline is a key ingredient to success in any area of life. To succeed, you must commit to your goals and do whatever it takes—even when no one is watching—to achieve them.

Hard work pays off (over time).

Consistency is vital to success. The more consistent you are over time increases the opportunity for achieving a goal. For example, if you want to lose weight, eating healthy foods consistently is what matters most.  Consistently doesn’t mean 100% of the time.  When dialing in my nutrition, I still enjoy ice cream on family movie nights. I know I’ll be rewarded every Saturday night, and maintaining a consistent diet during the week isn’t as difficult. If you want to learn how to play an instrument or speak a second language, daily practice will help ensure those skills become habitual.  Apps like Duolingo make these habits easier to follow. They also gamify the experience to keep it fun and exciting.

Consistency isn't just important when achieving long-term goals; it's also crucial when forming habits or behaviors that work for us in everyday life--like exercising regularly or getting enough sleep--as well as negative ones like smoking or drinking too much alcohol (or eating junk food).

When we're consistent about our daily practices and routines- positive ones like going for walks outside; or negative ones like watching too much TV- we set ourselves up for success because these activities become part of our identity and who we are as individuals.

Author James Clear drives this point home in the bestselling “Atomic Habits.”

“Your habits are usually a reflection of your identity.  What you do is an indication of the type of person you believe that you are-either consciously or unconsciously.” 

Doing something once is a good start, but consistency over time differentiates between failure and success.

The difference between consistency and perfection is that you can be consistent and still make mistakes. The key is to recognize what is working, what isn’t, and make the needed adjustments. While training for my second marathon, I maintained two somewhat challenging weekly workouts, with three easier long runs. I later learned that I was better off completing one hard workout and four easy runs based on my age and ability to recover. I experienced more progress by training smarter, not necessarily harder. You might not always get the correct answer, but if you keep working and maintain a positive attitude, things will eventually improve.

You need to be consistent about building new habits and breaking old ones--it's the only way to achieve your goals. That means sticking with it even when other people don't understand why you're doing what you're doing or think that what they're doing is better than what you're doing (which may or may not be true).

Consistency also helps keep our motivation high because if we keep moving forward, eventually, everything will fall into place. The destination may look different, but the lessons learned will be worth the effort.

Motivation is important, but it is not enough.

When I started working out, motivation was all I had. I was motivated by how good I felt when I finished a workout and how good my body looked in the mirror. That motivation kept me going, but it wasn't enough to keep me going forever--especially when things got hard or boring (which they often do). As time went on and my body became stronger, but my motivation waned because there was no longer-term goal I was aiming for. I learned that I’m more likely to stick with or create a new habit if I work toward something rather than maintain what I have.

Ignoring the “I don’t feel like it” thoughts.

Discipline is what you do when no one is watching, or so they say. It's a humble thing that requires you to do the right thing even when there's no reward or recognition. Discipline isn't just about making significant changes in your life; it also applies to the small things, like running every morning before work (or regardless of the weather) or saving money each month by cutting out unnecessary expenses from your budget.

It takes time and practice to develop good habits that become hardwired into our brains as second nature--but that doesn't mean we should give up too soon! The key is being patient with yourself as you work toward becoming more disciplined over time. There’s no way to know, but I believe many of us may quit just short of achieving a breakthrough. Imagine looking back at different outcomes and realizing that had you just stuck with it for another day, week, or month, you would have achieved the discovery needed to continue.

To be successful, you must commit to reaching your goals by working hard and consistently over time

The most crucial part of achieving your goals is committing to them. You can't achieve anything without being willing to work hard and consistently over time. In other words, you must discipline yourself by setting clear boundaries and sticking with them through thick and thin! Entrepreneur and author Jesse Itzler succinctly summarizes goal achievement as this; “Don’t negotiate with your goals.” Succinct and expresses how we often allow our goals to take charge when things get tough, rather than doing what’s needed to move forward.

So don’t allow setbacks or unforeseen obstacles to push you off course. Once you’ve set your mind to a goal, accept the things you can control, anticipate challenges. Maintain focus and commit to incremental improvement over time, no matter how small. Don’t compromise and commit to the process. As much as we like to believe in overnight success, Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor was any worthwhile goal.