How To Be Self Disciplined | 10 Amazing Tips

Let’s be truthful about the term “how to be self-disciplined”: it’s not an easy endeavor.

For many of us, self-discipline is a continuous effort involving “I’ll do this today” and ending up with feelings of failure. But this can be stopped.

In this guide, we will be exposing all about Self Discipline. You’ll get to understand the concepts, secrets, and key ways you can use self-discipline to change your life completely.

This post is of immense help if you:

• Want to know how to be self-disciplined in medical school
• Want to how to be self-disciplined in your career

What is Self Discipline?

Let’s break things down, shall we?

Self-discipline is a compound word consisting of two different concepts; self and Discipline. We’ll focus more on the word Discipline.

The word Discipline arrives from the Latin word “Disciplina,” which means Training and Instruction.

In our context, Discipline refers to exercising training and Instruction on someone to bring such person to do the needful. But when this training is from your self, it’s self-discipline.

Self Discipline is the ability to put conscious effort into doing the things you need to do. It’s a matter of self-will. It is ensuring that you execute goals at levels you originally planned without excuses.

One of the significant characteristics of self-discipline is the ability to do away with present pleasures for a higher gain in the future, even if the benefit is not immediately gotten.

Read More: Benjamin Carson’s Biography

Robots – An Epitome of Self-Discipline

Have you ever come in contact with robots? What about machines? Come on; we use them in our everyday life. What do you notice about their ability to execute?

It’s that they always execute at expected levels no matter the condition. An exception is if technical problems affect them.

Asides that machines and robots always do what they’re programmed to do every time! No emotions attached.

They don’t grumble, nor do they quit because they feel like it. Robot’s task is simple: Execute the commands programmed into them!

We can’t all be like robots, can we? I mean, we’re humans, and they’re machines. But we can have this ability to execute plans we map out. And that’s if you know how to be Self-disciplined.

But why is the mastering of one’s self so important? I mean, for success, can’t you just do the things you want to do when you feel like it? Let’s find out!

Why is Self Discipline Important?-How To Be Self Disciplineed

Whether you’re aiming to be better in your academics, career, relationships, and business, you’ll have to embrace self-discipline to succeed. See why:

1. Completion of Set Goals

 Discipline is the requirement to finish any activity until the activity—regardless of how uncomfortable—becomes your standard operating procedure. – Grant Cardone.

To set goals is one thing, to bring it to completion is another. No matter how big your dreams are, when you cultivate the habit of self-discipline, you’ll be able to overcome challenges and bring that project to success.

Your goals are not merely targets; the main deal is to become the kind of person capable of accomplishing that goal.

Let’s say you want to ace the USMLE Step 1 with 260 points. You might inwardly think that getting the score is the main thing that will bring happiness, but it’s not.

The crux of that goal is to become the kind of person capable of achieving that score. But how do you become that person- through self-discipline!

2. Improves Self Esteem

At some point in my life, everything was going bad. My high school grades were poor, life seemed so unfair, and I couldn’t pinpoint something I could do to be happy again.

But as soon as I commit to tasks in front of me, things changed. With little effort, I began to pick up inspiration. I became obsessed with my daily improvement.

With time, I cliched my goal, and I can tell you that I became happier and more fulfilled.

The point is Self-discipline skyrockets your self-esteem. Be honest, don’t you feel so good after you’ve accomplished a goal you mapped out?

Absolutely, yes! You feel more excellent and dependent on your abilities. The next time you want to do a similar goal, you believe in your self that you’re much more capable.

You get creative and feel more in control of your circumstances. You also get this high-drive to charge head-on towards your dreams despite any problem that might set in.

3. Develops Important Lifelong Habits

Habits keep you going with momentum towards your dreams, and Discipline is vital in setting up the wheel.

Let’s say you plan to read five hours every day. Each day you are faced with limitless distractions from the likes of the TV and internet notifications. But the crucial ability that helps you in these times is Discipline.

Self-mastery and control help you to create quality habits that will guarantee success in life.

4. Forms Greatness- How to be self disciplined

When you are a self-disciplined person, mediocrity will be a thing of the past-  because you will have self-control over pleasures that other averages seek.

It’ll naturally seem like you’re so committed and obsessed with your goals because you’ve trained yourself to sacrifice now to enjoy later.

Middle-class people don’t like to sacrifice. They’ll want everything now. Just name it! Is it to get rich suddenly? Yes, they love all sorts of flashy things.

And where does that keep them? In the middle class. But at whatever you do, there is a guarantee that you’re on the path to greatness if you can cultivate the habit of self-discipline.

But how do you create the habit of self-discipline? Let’s find out!

How To Be Self Disciplined towards your Goals

Self-discipline is not rocket science. Nor is it a super-human ability. It’s just that extra effort that makes the significant overcome challenges.

You may be the most self-indisciplined person in the world, but with these ten tips, you’ll become better:

1. Forgive yourself- How to be Self Disciplined

Before getting started on building self-discipline, you must have whirled away most of your time in unfruitful adventures.

You probably have been giving in to your self desires and going any way you like.

But now you’re going to change. So, the first thing to do on how to be self-disciplined is to forgive yourself.

Forgive yourself for the times you slip, for the times you were a jerk. Clear all those failed attempts at success. Have a can-do attitude and flow on the path of self-discipline.

2. Set Targets and Be Aware of them every day

If you want to be a person with self-discipline, you’ll need to make your goals clear. What do you want? What exactly are you aiming to accomplish?

Everyone has good things they desire to accomplish. I mean, everyone would want to be productive and healthy, right? But not everyone puts their goals in front of them enough to bring it to reality.

Some might have forgotten long ago that they wanted to be billionaires. And of course, when you forget your goals, you fail to reach them.

Think thoroughly about what you want in life. Write them down and have read them every day.

Also, create a mental picture of what you desire and be conscious of it. With these, you are on the right track on how to be self-disciplined.

3. Minimize Distractions

It’s so convenient to fall back into bad habits when you are always in the same environment. If you’re aiming to be more self-disciplined, you should seek to minimize or reduce things distracting you from your goal.

If your goal is to reduce weight, do away with junk food. If you want more out of your study hours, keep off notifications while reading.

If you don’t like the negativity or mediocre mentality of those around you, leave those people. They can be hazardous for your success.

What to do: You should take this little step of Discipline by removing whatever it is that might have a negative influence on your goal.

I was so distracted while I was preparing for my first matriculating examination into the university.  I didn’t know how to be self-disciplined.

It got so bad that I became dependent on my mobile phone and laptop to study(a bunch of distractions!)

When the results came out, I failed woefully. I couldn’t make it up to my dream of entering medical school that year.

But as soon as I started preparing for a second examination, I dropped my phone and every other internet device.

I was bored at first, but with time, I began to love the process of my preparations. I could spend long hours studying. The exam came, and I made away with one of the highest scores in my neighborhood.

4. Break Your Big Goals into Tiny Achievable Bits

Forcing so much change on yourself may result in burnout. You’re trying to be a master of self, but all those bad habits or natural tendencies won’t leave you in a twinkle of an eye. It’s a work in progress.

You can start as small as conquering for the hour or the day. Don’t unnecessarily stress yourself. You attain self-discipline, not by one single action but small, consistent actions taken over time.

Go in as small as you can, and take action towards your goals each day.

Tip: Use time-trapping. It’s beneficial. Time-trapping involves locking your time into doing what you want to do.

Like I said earlier, go in small first. You can set a timer for 10 minutes of activity of even less if you wish.

Then stay focused on the activity you plan to do during that set time. If you’re just starting, you’ll begin to feel the urge to quit(this is because of self desires) but don’t.

Continue until the timer goes off. Take a break and repeat.

5. Regularly Take Perspective

The process of accomplishing your goal will sometimes be overwhelming. You will often get frustrated, discouraged, and tempted to Quit. Don’t!

One thing that can help you stay self-disciplined here is to take perspective regularly. See into the big picture. What’s the outcome of all this going to be?

Ask yourself, What will it look like in the future if I discipline myself now to do what I planned out?

If you aim to lose weight, take perspective into what success will look like.

If it’s to smash a test, envisage what it’ll look like when you successfully achieved your goal.

In his book The 10X Rule, Grant Cardone emphasized the importance of connecting your goals to a larger purpose. In times of discouragement, looking into the big picture will keep you going.

6. Don’t Wait for Everything to be perfect.

Excuses are one of the biggest threats to success.

The effect of this element is that you get so comfortable with it. You employ habits regularly because they entirely justify why you didn’t do what you need to do.

A personal setback to reaching our goals is the excuse of “I’m not ready” or “I don’t have everything I need to start.”

Don’t fail into the trap! You don’t necessarily have to chill till everything is perfect before you get the Discipline to work on your goals. Work on them Now!

Think of every moment as having everything you need to succeed, and accept that if you don’t do well, it’s on you.

If you want to do well on how to be self-disciplined, start wherever you are. Don’t make excuses.

7. Expect Setbacks- How to be Self Disciplined

If you go into our goals expecting everything to be a smooth ride, you will fail as soon as challenges begin. I kid you not.

Great people who have utilized self-discipline are not super-humans, nor are they aliens. They all had some down moments, and they didn’t let that get in the way of their goals.

So what are you going to do? I’d say you should expect failures. Expect the worse that can happen.

Understand that you will fail at some point, and failing is okay. But don’t give up because you do not see profits. When setbacks happen, accept them and keep on going.

8. Manage your Health and Relationships Well

We all need our bodies to be function properly while we are up. If you’re over-stressing yourself based on “how to be self-disciplined,” you’ve missed the point.

Take care of yourself, eat good food regularly, and give your brain rest. Take some exercise-It’s not all about goals. Care about your relationships too!

To maximize self-discipline in achieving your goals, ensure that you have the energy to conquer the day.

I do take afternoon naps when I feel I’m working too hard. After the short rest, I realize I’m up with much more energy and fuel to work at my goals. These are the little things that help me stay healthy.

9. Track your Improvement

Days keep coming by, and they never stop. What has altered in your life so far? What about the past two weeks? Any improvements? Check yourself.

If you keep working on your goals without tracking your improvements, you will get problems knowing whether you’re succeeding.

If your goal is to read all chapters of the Bible in a year, check how far you’ve gone. If it’s to study material for a test, track how well you’re doing with more self-discipline.

Discover what success means to you and daily measure how well you’re faring.

When I set my goals, I draft a calendar that I use to track my performances each day and how much I’ll need to cover before the goal deadline.

How do you track your little improvements? Let me know through the comment box!

10. Create Habits- How To Be Self Disciplined

Every soul on this planet does engage in habitual actions. While this may not be so prominent to us, some are helpful, while some are bad.

Your overall goal in this self-discipline adventure is to do what you need to do even if you don’t feel like it, right? Then don’t stop at this self-mastery process.

Continue to develop those habits. Build them to be powerful, such that whenever you wake up in the morning, you step right into your goals.

If its to lose weight by exercising, don’t stop the process! Continue to do so until you’ve built a habit powerful enough to push you through.

Keeping habits is where the self-mastery lies, so keep on building those good habits!

10 Best Self Discipline Books To Read

We haven’t exhausted all to know about how to be self-disciplined towards your goals. So I recommend you that you download and read any of these books to keep up with it.

This list will help you search for the best self-discipline books, best self-discipline pdf, or publications on how to be self-disciplined. Enjoy!

1. The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
2. The Willpower Instinct by McGonigal
3. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
4. The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner
5. No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline Guide by Brian Tracy
6. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
7. Self-Discipline by Sam Living
8. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by John Tierney
9. Eat that Frog! Book by Brian Tracy
10. Mastery book by Robert Greene

Final Thoughts on How To Be Self Disciplined

As Medics, or everyone else, we need that self-discipline to forgo our pleasures to succeed. Knowing how to be self-disciplined is a helpful ability in every phase of life.

We’ve come to know a lot on the topic: how to be self-disciplined. I hope these tips shared out here will help make you a master of self.

We’ve come to the end of this topic. If this guide was helpful in any way, let us know through the comment box!

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