Discipline is a skill that you build up. Motivation and inspiration are great tools when they are there, discipline is a way of life that will always be there.
The reinforcement effect
Whenever you do anything it reinforces the pathways in your brain. For example, you see your sink is full of dishes, you really should do them, you do not do them, you notice them the next day even fuller and you yet again strengthen that narrative of “I am someone who does not do the dishes. The narrative goes deeper than avoiding the dishes or the gym or any plethora of other examples. it is a deeply engrained seed that says, “I do not do what I need to do!” usually this is followed by a, “because… ” and an excuse. Every time that you fail to perform an action that you know you should be doing it digs the trench deeper.
Baby steps everyday theory and mindfulness
Improve in small chunks by doing discipline exercises. This works best with mindfulness. Mindfulness doesn't have to be religious or mean anything to you other than improving yourself. It doesn’t require meditation or yoga, mindfulness is simply understanding your own mind and how it works and using that to your advantage so that urges, desires, and emotions do not control you at the expense of your future or current well being.
There are many ways to practice mindfulness, the first that comes to most peoples mind is meditation. This helps me personally. I simply do it for ten minutes, I have a goal for example, “I am going to sit here and not move and concentrate on my breath.” This is a great way to build up that mental muscle and put you more in control of your own actions regardless of emotions and impulses.
Meditation does not work for some people, luckily mindfulness is a skill and there are many tools you can use to refine that skill. Metacognition is the act of thinking about thought. This is by far the best way to increase mindfulness and discipline. When you have a craving recognize it, name it, and consider the negative consequences and the positive consequences of giving in to that craving. Then comes the discipline part where you decide what you are going to do. Mindfulness is like putting a spotlight on that craving and analyzing it rather than trying to run from it. You can not run from something inside of your own head or ignore it. You must face it and the more that you know about it the better equipped you will be to make the right decision for your wellbeing.
This will not be a change overnight. Cravings and impulses dominate our minds. Just do a little every day and eventually, you will be able to catch all of these thoughts and not be controlled by them.
example exercises
Build discipline through exercises, not necessarily going to the gym and pumping iron although that does work wonders for discipline if you have a fitness goal. Force yourself out of your comfort zone and retrain your mind.
They do not have to be grand old changes that throw your whole life upside down. Something simple like, do pushups every day when you wake up, take a cold or even lukewarm shower, Think about what you want to accomplish that day. The key here is to gain a foothold and start building momentum. The hardest part is getting started, the rest gets more natural to you as you do it.
An important side note. Do not do what others are doing just because they are doing it. Do not do what you think you should do just because you think you should do it. Do what is improving your life. If you want to be more mindful and you try meditation for a month and decide that it is a waste of time but continue doing it because it is something that “you should do” then you are just creating another reinforcement, almost like digging a trench that you dig so far into you need a ladder to get out. You start thinking that same basic thought from the intro in different words, “I do things that I do not want to do to impress people that I do not know.”
This is all about you and only you. Be your best self and live to the highest standards you can through practice and failing and getting back up again.
UNDERSTAND THE IDEA BEHIND THE THOUGHT
thoughts are just words conveying some abstract idea, recognize that and act accordingly. Your thoughts are not you, they do not need to control you. Simply name them and recognize them as they are. For example, if you think “I want to eat more” but your stomach is full, instead of pushing that thought aside and ignoring it you face it. You think about the physical sensations that you have and the mental struggle you are going through. It is natural, then you decide what to do with conscious thought rather than simple impulse.
closing note
This stuff takes time, so do not beat yourself up for giving in to your impulses, simply recognize that you have, realize how you can not make that same decision again in the future, and move on to the next of life's trials. When you fall, brush off the dust and get back up again with more vigor.
The most important step is to start! The rest will build on top of that.
