The Habit Of Discipline

Two established ingredients for a successful life are good habits and discipline. There’s something immeasurable about the power of consistency that creates exponential results wherever it’s applied. It’s what Darren Hardy has coined as “The Compound Effect” and what Albert Einstein references when he says “Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world.”

With that in mind, I want to pose the question: How do you build the habit of being disciplined?

Oftentimes people muddy up personal development terms and say things that sound good but don’t have real meaning or actionable value. That’s what I originally thought about this, until I chose to break it down into its elements.

As I understand it, a habit is “an action that’s completed with a reliable frequency, often without needing to think about it”. That’s why good habits are so powerful. When you have them, you automatically do things that contribute to improving your health, work, and life. Those positive actions generate positive results that add up to extraordinary outcomes over time.

As for discipline, I define it as “following through on doing the thing that most serves you, consistently, despite the circumstances around you”. Self-discipline isn’t doing what you said you were going to do at all costs, it involves thoughtfulness to determine what choice makes the biggest impact and executing that.

So if you put the two together, here’s my summary: The habit of self-discipline is “the act of consistently making the choice that most serves you despite the circumstances around it”. It’s a foundation that applies to all areas of your life. It’s a constant filter being applied to everything that keeps you accountable, intentional, and resilient.

Ideally, the habit of self-discipline is effortless. Imagine unconsciously making the self-disciplined choice without having to think about it, negotiate with yourself, or talk yourself into it. That it’s just a natural part of everything you do.

That’s possible when you have a self-disciplined mindset, one that comes from the belief system and identity that you are a self-disciplined person. I call this having a ‘best-self reflex’ where unconsciously you respond to life’s situations by making good, positive, empowering choices that you never regret.

Like any belief system, that transformation must be earned. And the best way to install a new unconscious program is by consciously drilling it into your psychology. In other words, to be hyper-intentional about taking action in alignment with the new belief until your unconscious mind is convinced that it’s just who you are. 

There’s a lot more to share on this, and I’ve created a video you can watch that talks about it in much more detail and teaches you how to install your own ‘best-self reflex’ for yourself. You can watch that here and start building your own 'best-self reflex' today.