Formula of Five: Self-discipline (Part 3)
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. Revelations 22:4 KJV
You don’t even have to think about doing them, you just do them. And that is where the secret lies. You want to purposefully build habits that help and support your commitment to self-discipline, and as your self-discipline is consistently applied towards your goals, in time you will experience greater success in the things that are important to you.
In brief, experts advise us to put our limited willpower toward the process of habit-building. It takes some oomph to build a habit, to do something every day for 66 days, for example, at which point the “habit” of the activity starts to take over so that we do it almost automatically, and it then doesn’t require willpower or so much conscious effort on our part. The real key is in choosing what habits we build, because whether we are aware of it or not, we have already built many habits—some good, and some bad. If you build good habits that will automatically move you towards your goal, you will have essentially installed a quality of self-discipline in your life. And you can repeat that over and over and over again.
Let’s say your vision is to write a book, finish a study course, or learn a musical instrument within a certain timeframe. You could consciously map out a new habit to adopt toward that goal. Using the example of writing a book, let’s say you want to have your book written within one year. You decide that the most effective habit you could form to move you towards your ultimate goal is to wake up 30 minutes earlier each day and write for 30 minutes every single day of the week, rain or shine. So you draw on your willpower to get up 30 minutes earlier each day and to write, no matter what. As you regularly practice this one new goal of getting up earlier and writing for 30 minutes, you will eventually cultivate a new habit that will enable you to reach your big goal. If you habit-build for 66 days and keep your why in mind, you will develop the habit of rising earlier, and it will gradually become easier for you to put pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, and write that book. And once the dynamic of habit takes over and you’re in the groove, you can turn your willpower towards another goal. As Jim Rohn wisely said, “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” You can apply this concept to any goal you want to reach.
Aristotle made the link clear between habits and excellence in human performance when he said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."
The topic of habits, habit-building, habit-breaking, and hooking new habits onto existing habits is a fascinating one. If you’re interested, a good book on this topic is The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg.9
Number 3. Know your “why.”
Exercising your self-discipline muscle will require some sacrifice and even personal discomfort as you give up some activities and replace those with new activities. You will need some motivation to stick with these changes. You need to know your “why.” What you’re working toward as you build greater self-discipline has to be more valuable than what you’re giving up. You have to know why you’re doing what you’re doing. What is your why? Or, put in other words, what is the purpose and aim of what you’re trying to achieve? What is the dream or vision that you’re working towards?
Your “why” should stem from your personal desire and conviction, what God is leading you to do. It’s a personal thing, between you and God. Your why shouldn’t be based on feelings of guilt or being driven by what you feel someone else wants or expects you to do. Your why is like your guiding star. It is what you will keep looking to.
9 New York: Random House, 2014.
Director's Corner TFI [Video "Shining Star"]