Here is an idea for you. If you set a few goals for the coming week, month, or year, yet don’t have the disciplines in place to execute on those aspirations, you most likely won’t get there. Sounds obvious, right? Then why do we often struggle with the daily disciplines required to do what needs to be done to get where we want to go? Why Does it Require Discipline to be Disciplined?

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

Jim Rohn

Many of us struggle with living a disciplined life. Reasons range from wanting instant gratification to not wanting to feel the discomfort of doing hard things on a schedule. I think I lead a fairly disciplined life, yet I struggle with the distractions that so easily entangle us and pull us away from the important daily actions we need to take.

“We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons.”

Jim Rohn

It’s also easy to view your daily disciplines as painful and uncomfortable. The more accurate truth is what Jim Rohn states in the quote just above. There will be pain, but you have a choice on which pain it will be.

“Discipline is freedom!”

Jocko Willink

Jocko Willink, retired Navy Seal and expert on the importance of discipline to achieve anything, describes discipline as “the root of all good qualities,” “the driver of daily execution” and “the core principle that overcomes laziness and lethargy and excuses.” He says that the more discipline in your life the more freedom in your life. How can that be? Well, as Jocko explains it, if you want financial freedom, you better be disciplined with your finances. If you want to be free from bad health issues, you better be disciplined with your healthy diet and exercise habits. If you want more free time, you need to be disciplined with how you invest your time.

“Discipline is the foundation upon which all success is built. Lack of discipline inevitably leads to failure.”

Jim Rohn

How To Develop More Discipline

First, as Jocko says, “Pick a target and engage.” This simple statement says a lot. We often fail at a disciplined approach to pursuing our goals because we have not picked “a” target. We pick “many” targets and then try and engage across too many fronts. Decide what outcomes you want and the 2-3 things you need to do to get there and then do those 2-3 things.

Secondly, recognize the importance of consistency. Author James Clear says, “You need consistency more than you need intensity.” I think we often make our daily disciplines so intense that we search for excuses not to do them. Instead, make the daily disciplines you need to move forward small, yet meaningful and then do them every day. I once wanted to develop my discipline of reading. I set a goal to finish a certain number of books in a year. It took only about two weeks for me to become exhausted and overwhelmed by the thought of accomplishing my goal. But when I made my daily discipline to read two-pages a day, every day, I easily accomplished my goal and now have a fantastic discipline for reading. Did I only read two-pages a day? No. But I never read less than two-pages a day.

Third, pay attention to your mindset. If you go into each day with the mindset that you “have” to do your daily routines, your mind will be open to the many distractions and excuses that will inevitably present themselves. Instead, adopt an I “get” to do these important tasks and they will help me get where I want to go. It’s a small change with big results.

Fourth, recover quickly when you slip up, and you will slip up. Recognize early that there will be days when life might get the best of you and miss or ignore your daily commitment. James Clear reminds us that “consistency does not require perfection.” He also points out that “individual mistakes do not matter in the long-run. Instead, it is the second mistake that is far more important.” If you make a mistake, miss a workout, fail to read, just don’t miss twice.

Finally, recognize the choice. Become more aware of the fact that this all comes down to choices we make every day. Often the choices are so routine that they don’t even seem like choices, but they are. Sleeping in, a choice. What I eat today, a choice. Getting a workout in, a choice. The problem is that the alternative that we chose is often not bad. I chose to skip my morning run so I could work on a project for work. Those are two good things to choose from; however, having a daily discipline tells me that the reason I woke earlier than normal was so I could get in the run AND then work in the project.

Are you Preparing or Repairing?

The problem with not doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done is that we set ourselves up for what John Maxwell calls a cycle of repairing from yesterday instead of preparing for tomorrow. Establish a few disciplines that will allow you to prepare for your future success and then do them daily.