by Cory Dudley | May 22, 2017 | Bringing You Colorado, Cory Dudley, DisciplineIsKing, Inspiration, KeysToSuccess, Motivational Monday, The Winning Team Real Estate Group
Discipline is quite different than it's partner-in-crime, motivation. But it is perhaps the single most important factor in the equation to success!
Motivation ebbs and flows and can change in a moment, adapting to it's surroundings and external conditions. Discipline, however, is that thing you call upon to climb the toughest mountains - or the tasks you know you must complete but lack the motivation to do so. If you are effective at managing yourself and your own efforts in the world, your discipline will come from within you. It will will call upon your feelings and mood toward a certain task/habit and use them toward achieving that which is important to you. Discipline is a muscle you exercise so that your life can consistently reflect your values; motivation doesn't always have the same follow through...
There are several ways you can exercise your discipline muscles, and many things to be aware of if you wish to improve in this area.
Remove Your Feelings From the Equation
Maybe your goal is to get up each morning at 5 am and workout for an hour. Guess what? That early hour will roll around the next morning and you'll want to hit the snooze button.What's lacking? Motivation!
The biggest impediment to success is that we are all dictated by our feelings and emotions. Instead of seeing reaching our goals as the ultimate prize, we expect to be reward all along the way. And be honest - if you did hit the snooze button once, twice, or three times, wouldn't you finally roll out of bed feeling worse than if you'd simply gotten up despite your feelings?
"Discipline replaces motivation because you show up consistently. The goal is too important to allow feelings to get in the way."
- Stephen R. Covey
If you rely on your feelings, you are significantly less inclined to put 100% into that task before you because your actions are being entirely dictated by immediate emotional states. Discipline, in the other hand, will show up time and time again, no matter how you feel in the moment. A disciplined person recognizes that the ultimate goal is the true purpose, therefor it is crucial to remain diligent until the end.
Focus On 1% Gains
Slow and steady wins the race, right? The smaller, gradual and consistent improvements are what ultimately separates those who achieve and those who fall short. These short improvements will lead up to marginal gains and set you apart from the rest. The key is to start small and achievable changes that get you that much closer to your goal.
What Is Your Daily 'Why'?
It is of the utmost importance that you discover the underlying motivation behind the goal you are pursuing. If you lack the compelling reasons to reach your goal, maintaining your discipline will be difficult to near impossible.
"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to broken."
- Samuel Johnson
Something will always come up in day to day life, big or small, that will seem to conspire against you and challenge your resolve. Give in and your success will be squashed; all your efforts will have been in vain. When such moments arise, you'll need a strong desire behind achieving your goals.
Continue to be persistent in the face of fears and adversity by clinging to a strong 'why'. After all, you're worth it and so are your goals!
by Cory Dudley | Apr 3, 2017 | Achievement, Bringing You Colorado, Cory Dudley, Goals, Inspiration, KeysToSuccess, Motivational Monday, Procrastination, Success
We've all been there - we really, really want to achieve a particular goal, but instead we procrastinate, make excuses and generally fail to follow through... Again and again and again! Overall, people are great at imagining what we want to do but can't seem to cross the finish line on most of our goals. So what is the missing link? What are we all forgetting about when we create our bullet lists, mind maps and routines?
Our feelings!
Research shows that trying to fight your feelings about a particular situation will only amplify their intensity. And thanks to the way that our brains function, feelings will beat out thoughts every time. With that in mind, emotions and feelings play a crucial roll in getting anything done; we require thoughts to plan, but only feelings can inspire us to act.
Here are 3 steps to harnessing your emotions & getting more done...
1.) Focus On Rewards
Just as when we were children, being rewarded feels great and being punished feels bad. Because they each incite such strong emotional reaction on each end of the spectrum, they can work wonders for motivating you. In fact, research shows that rewards account for 75% of the reasoning behind why you do anything. So treat yourself to a pedicure after acing that exam you've been studying tirelessly for, or take a weekend getaway after a month of long days at the office.
What if there doesn't seem to be any reward motivating enough to get you going? Try the 'commitment device' approach instead. For example, give your friend $100. If you complete your task/goal within the committed time frame, you get the money back. If you don't, you lose it completely and your friend is $100 richer...
Suddenly those items you've been putting off for 2 weeks seem much more important!
2.) Get Peer Pressure
The common saying goes along the lines of, "You are the 5 people who surround yourself with the most." If this is true, are you who you want to be? Spending time around the sort of individuals that you strive to be like makes it far less stressful or difficult to do the things you know you should be doing.
Friendship and it's benefits, challenges and hidden elements has long been studied. From an interview, author Carlin Flora of "Friendfluence" states:
"Research shows over time, you develop the eating habits, health habits and even career aspirations of those around you. If you’re in a group of people who have really high goals for themselves you’ll take on that same sense of seriousness.."
Make friends with people that will encourage you to challenge yourself, and serve as a support system from beginning to end.
3.) Get Positive
If you're like the majority of the world, procrastination is most likely to happen on a day that wasn't ideal. We woke up late, didn't get enough sleep, still haven't had our morning coffee or got into a fight with our partner on our way out the door. Oh,science doesn't lie; happiness increases productivity and makes you more successful!
But what if we can't seem to shake the blues? What if we just aren't feeling it?
Check in on and celebrate the progress you've already made. Nothing is more motivating than witnessing and appreciating your own progress. It will get you through to the next accomplishment, and reassure you that you can do this.