Note: This post is written by Jana Rooheart
Big achievements require strong discipline and will. Without them, all our efforts crush against the walls of our emotions, different circumstances and influence of other people.
These five things will help you work on your discipline. You need to stick to them for 21 days and you will definitely see the difference.
1. Start Watching Yourself
During these 21 days, observe what you do, how you stand, how you talk and dress, the way you walk and what things distract you. Fully control yourself. Watch your posture. No matter where you are – at work, at home or in the gym, you need to look your best and to radiate confidence and positivity.
The more you think about your personal charm, the more you’ll have it. Imagine that every day you are under attention of paparazzi and you just cannot look bad.
There is an easy exercise that will help you control yourself; it’s called a “marine posture”. You need to stand against the wall with your heels, shoulder-blades, back of the head, buttocks and elbows touching the wall. You should stand in this position for 10 minutes every day. After a few days you will notice that your spine will straighten up.
Such small things influence your self-discipline as you teach yourself to control your behavior and to be the boss of your emotions. Remember that you do it for yourself and not for other people.
2. Come Up with a Morning Ritual
Our productivity and self-discipline fully depends on the way we get up in the morning. You can wake up right before you need to go work, get your things together in a huge rush, swallowing your cereal and not realizing what’s going on. The better way, though, is to prepare yourself for waking up, to feel your biorhythm and to be happy about a new day.
For that you need some morning ritual. Here is an example: getting up when your alarm-clock rings, doing some easy morning exercises, having a contrast douche and eating a healthy breakfast. This all may take only an hour. If you do it for 21 days, it’ll become a habit and you’ll have no problem getting up a bit earlier.
Actually, it doesn’t matter what ritual you choose. The most important thing is to stick to it. After some time, you’ll see how much more effective, organized and disciplined you’ll become.
3. Become an Ascetic
To start with, you need to choose what to refuse for 21 days (ideally). You can taboo different things such as movies, social networks, gossip, alcohol, video games, etc.
The most important thing here is to learn to say “no” to some of your desires. People need to be able to control themselves; otherwise, other things or people will control them. You should complete your plans regardless of your emotions.
4. Set Complicated Tasks
Choose one seriously difficult task per week and complete it no matter what. Weather, circumstances, mood swings and other things do not matter.
Do you do 50 push-ups every day? Start doing 80, 90 or 100 – there is no limit. Do you write one article per two days? Write two. Do you spend too much money? Try not spending anything at all for three days, for example. Treat this important task as your main priority and have no excuses for postponing it.
5. Focus on the Results
This exercise is similar to the previous one, but here you choose a goal, make a plan and calculate the time and resources you will need to accomplish it.
Try to make something in 21 days: create a website, write a book chapter, lose 6 pounds, finish a big project, etc. You will probably notice that people, circumstances, entertainments, Internet and many other things stand on your way of coming close to that goal. And that’s why you need to focus on that goal, think about it, imagine the results and ignore distracting factors.
***
Remember that creating good habits takes some time and effort, but they can lead you to your dreams and help to overcome any obstacles.
The post is written by Jana Rooheart, a professional blogger and IT specialist. She writes about both professional and personal growth as well as about technology and Internet safety. Currently she writes for Pumpic. Contact Jana via Facebook.
Photo by Ibai
