I was out playing in my garden one afternoon when the realization suddenly hit me that I was way behind on writing & queuing up new content for one of my affiliate sites.
Two hours later (while I was still pulling Lombardy poplar suckers), the image of checks in the mailbox finally caused me to drag my butt away from the garden and into my office.
After spending the next 2 hours skimming/deleting emails, and perusing a few dozen websites – I had to wonder where my self-discipline had run off too.
Fortunately, all I had to do to muster the reserves was to re-read an article by one of my long-time mentors, Brian Tracy. I include it here just in case you find yourself a little short on self-discipline — and if that doesn't quite do the trick, you can avail yourself of Brian's ‘The Miracle of Self-Discipline course on CD or MP3.
Self-Discipline for Success
by Brian Tracy
There is one special quality that you can develop that will guarantee you greater success, accomplishment and happiness in life. Of a thousand principles for success developed over the ages, this one quality or practice will do more to assure that you accomplish wonderful things with your life than anything else. This quality is so important that, if you don't develop it to a high degree, it is impossible for you to ever achieve what you are truly capable of achieving.
The quality that I am talking about is the quality of self-discipline. It is a habit, a practice, a philosophy and a way of living. All successful men and women are highly disciplined in the important work that they do. All unsuccessful men and women are undisciplined and unable to control their behaviors and their appetites. And when you develop the same levels of high, personal discipline possessed by the most successful people in our society, you will very soon begin to achieve the same results that they do.
All great success in life is preceded by long, sustained periods of focused effort on a single goal, the most important goal, with the determination to stay with it until it is complete. Throughout history, we find that every man or woman who achieved anything lasting and worthwhile, had engaged in long, often unappreciated hours, weeks, months and even years of concentrated, disciplined work, in a particular direction.
Fortunately, the quality of self-discipline is something that you can learn by continuous practice, over and over, until you master it. Once you have mastered the ability to delay gratification, the ability to discipline yourself to keep your attention focused on the most important task in front of you, there is virtually no goal that you cannot accomplish and no task that you cannot complete.
Successful people engage in activities that are goal-achieving. Unsuccessful people engage in activities that are tension-reliving. Successful people discipline themselves to have dinner before dessert. Unsuccessful people prefer to have dessert most of the time.
Successful people plan their work, and work their plan. They take the time to think through their responsibilities before they begin. They make clear decisions which they then implement immediately. They get a lot more done in a shorter period of time than the average person. And it all has to do with their disciplines.
Perhaps the most important benefit of self-discipline is the personal benefit that you receive. Every act of self-discipline increases your self-esteem. It gives you a feeling of personal power and accomplishment. Each time you discipline yourself to persist in the face of distractions, diversions, and disappointments, you feel better about yourself. As you continue to discipline yourself, you achieve more and more in life. As you achieve more things, you feel more like a winner. Your self-confidence goes up. You feel happier about yourself. You get more done and you have more energy. You earn the respect and esteem of the people around you. You get more rapid promotions and are paid more money. You live in a nicer house, drive a nicer car, and wear nicer clothes. You get a natural high from the thrill of achievement. And the more things that you achieve as the result of employing your personal habits of effectiveness and productivity, the more eager you are to achieve even higher and better tasks. Your life gets onto an upward spiral of success and happiness. You feel great about yourself most of the time.
Every act of self-discipline strengthens every other discipline in your life. Every weakness of self-discipline weakens your other disciplines as well. When you make a habit of disciplining yourself in little things, like flossing your teeth every night, you'll soon become able to discipline yourself to accomplish even larger things, like working long, long hours to bring a major task to completion.
Your entire life is an on-going battle between the forces of doing what is right and necessary on the one hand and doing what is fun and easy on the other hand. It is a battle between the forces of discipline and the forces of ease or expediency. And when you develop the strength of character that gives you complete self-mastery, self-control and self-discipline, you feel wonderful about yourself. You develop a deep inner sense of strength and confidence. You replace positive thinking with positive knowing. You reach the point inside where you absolutely know that you can do whatever it takes to achieve any goal that you can set for yourself.
Self-discipline is its own reward. Not only does it pay off in terms of greater self-esteem and a more positive mental attitude, but it pays off throughout your life in terms of the goals that you achieve and the success that you attain in everything you do.
Self-discipline is a skill and a habit that can be learned by practice. Every time you practice a little self-discipline, you become stronger and stronger. Bit by bit, you become more capable of even greater disciplines. As you become a totally self-disciplined individual, your entire future opens up in front of you like a broad highway. Everything becomes possible for you and your future becomes unlimited.
Accomplish more in a month than most people accomplish in a year. Take complete control of your life.
Learn how to apply Self-Discipline to: Goal Setting; Time Management; Health Habits; Relationships; Sales; Business Operations; Physical Fitness; Personal Development; Negotiating; Communications; Character Development; and many other areas.
Get more done today! Check out Brian Tracy's “Miracle of Self-Discipline”.
Did you find this post informative and useful? If so, please share it with others! If you have a comment, question or suggestion, please post it below!
Cheers,
Hi Ros
Just to let you know that the link about entitled ‘The Miracle of Self-Discipline’, goes through to the following website page.
http://exclusiverewards.nellygrillz.com/home.html? This got caught in my Norton security and gave me an alert to it being a fake webpage and was prevented from opening.
I can google the link for this program but though you would like to know where this page is directing to.
Regards
Johanna
Thanks Johanna!
I’ll look into it and correct the problem.
Cheers,
Ros
Hi, Thanks a lot for this awesome post! I will bookmark Self-Discipline for Success | Make Money Online with Super Affiliate Rosalind Gardner. Thanks.
Hey Ros, beneath such nice article I think your name is a little misplaced.
At least I read: About the Author – Rosalind Gardner is a Super Affiliate blogger… etc. Well, I know you for quite a time, but for newcomers it could be a little confusing. Unless your PEN NAME is Bryan Tracy, of course… 😉
On topic… One thing I know for sure: if you ever managed STOP SMOKING after several years, then you indeed have a lot of self-discipline. In the event that you were in doubt of yourself…
nice day1
Leo S.
I got the shock of my life recently when one of my niche blogs was mentioned by someone I have subscribed to for a couple of years now. I’d been neglecting the blog for a while and now it gets mentioned by this SEO expert whose list I’m on but doesn’t know me from Adam.
I’m sitting on a potential gold mine but I’m too lazy to aggressively build it up into an authority site. My problem is that I’ve got too many interests (which aren’t the most lucrative subjects) and I feel I need to give them all equal attention. I also love the outdoors and that conflicts massively with spending long hours in front of a computer.
Ros,
My expectations for the short term are simple things like have the business pay for itself which it is.
I set goals for each day and work them. I evaluate my progress and overall goals at least once/month.
I guess my point was the “in-between” periods when you’re moving on to the next highest goal. Patience is a virtue and keeping the right mindset critical.
BTW, I am reading your SAH and it has helped fill in some gaps and open my eyes to things I hadn’t considered. I especially appreciate you updating it this year.
Jeff
Great dialogue! Thanks…
Best-
Wayne
Remember: ”The only Unfulfilled Goals in Your Life are the Ones you Never Attempt”
Hi Ros,
This post made me think of college days. I could attend one particular class in person or just take a correspondance course. I chose correspondance because I thought I had the discipline, but found out very quickly that I didn’t. I finished it however that was after a few warnings to “kindly submit something or else.” Suddenly I had one week to produce 10 lessons. I have always warned of the dangers in regards to that example eversince. It’s easy to lose your way when you are your own master in a sense.
It all depends what each individual is hoping their self-discipline gets them of course. I do believe in “do something big or small” everyday, whether it’s about working on a website or trying to get your basement cleaned out. Just do “something” and results will begin to show.
You can know what you want, but if you don’t “expect” it, that helps too, at least for me.
Hi Rosalind, after receiving your recent Newsletter: [NPT] Antonio, are you doing this?-I ordered Brian Tracy-“The Miracle of Self Disciple”. I feel confident that any recommendation you make, is well worth my time. Thanks again, and keep on doing what you do, we love you!
Hi Antonio,
Love you too! 🙂
You’ll love Brian Tracy, he’s been one of my most inspirational mentors for as long as I can remember.
Cheers,
Ros
Rosalind,
I totally agree with Brian and Wayne.
One of the things I have been struggling with lately is having a lot of work that required self-discipline not get rewarded soon enough. This can cause your faith to wane.
Getting ourselves into a mindset where we believe we can accomplish anything does depend a great deal on past successes like Brian says.
That has been my greatest challenge lately. When you feel like nothing you’re doing is working, it can cause that spiral to go in the wrong direction.
I’m working on it though.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Sounds like the reason your faith is waning is more related to expectations than lack of self-discipline when you say “not get rewarded soon enough”. Perhaps you could adjust your expectations?
Cheers,
Ros
I really enjoy the writings of Brian Tracy. He is one of the featured experts in Rich Schefren’s and Jay Abraham’s League of Extraordinary Minds. I signed up to hear the free version.(http://d3k5.com/1453551756).
-Joan
Roaslind-
Very good Post-my only comments is that you need an “element” of faith to go with your self discipline. Self discipline (irrespective) of what your goals are, and what you need to requires, the propert mindset, attitude and belief in oneslef or in God-that the person will indeed acheive what the set out to acheive.
In my 10 + years experience in providing goal setting/strategic planning, I have found the missing element besides one’s attitude is FAITH. If you BELIEVE it you can ACHIEVE it, conversely, if you don’t BELIEVE you will-guess what? You probably won’t.
Best-
Wayne
Remember: ”The only Unfulfilled Goals in Your Life are the Ones you Never Attempt”
Hi Wayne,
I agree completely and think faith (belief in self) comes before self-discipline can truly be mustered.
Thanks for sharing!
Cheers,
Ros
Self-decipline is the right way to success. It can be learned with practise. Very motivating post. Thanks.