Want to lose weight? Eat healthier? Stop smoking? Spend less money? Volunteer more? Get a better job? Remember everyone’s birthday? Be kinder? BECOME MORE ORGANIZED (see upcoming blogs for wisdom on this)? Many of the resolutions we all aspire to can be achieved through mastering just one thing. And you don’t even have to buy a book to get my secret…….I’m just going to tell you.
It is not guaranteed to be easy, and it is not going to be a quick fix. But, it WILL make your life better. AND it will make many, if not all, of your resolutions quite doable.
Ready? The SECRET to achieving all of your resolutions lies in the mastery of SELF DISCIPLINE; Control yourself. Don’t overindulge. Do what you SHOULD do, not what you FEEL like doing. Don’t give in. Don’t doubt yourself. Persist in mastering control of what you think, say, and do. You can’t control others, but you CAN control YOURSELF.
How do you master SELF DISCIPLINE?
- Study it.
- Read about it.
- Find people who are better at it than you and get their support.
- Print the above paragraph and put it in a place where you can read it daily as a reminder, or better yet, block and copy it to your online Sagepoint calendar, along with a recurring reminder to read it three times daily.
- Take what you learn from small successes, and apply the lessons to the bigger goals on your list.
For example, I have a resolution to exercise but find that I am too tired during the day. I am going to start by going to bed consistently at 10:30 p.m. each night (instead of midnight or 1 a.m.). I can practice control, doing what I SHOULD do (go to sleep on time) instead of what I FEEL like doing (staying up to work while it is so quiet and I am on a roll). Once I attain this small goal, I will move on to start exercising since I will have more energy from the consistent and routine sleep I am getting. I will be persistent, as I will most certainly fall occasionally, but I know that I CAN control myself and I like how I feel when I accomplish even the small goals. Once I am on track with these goals, I will move onto the next goal on my list according to priority.
It’s worth repeating: Control yourself. Don’t overindulge. Do what you SHOULD do, not what you FEEL like doing. Don’t give in. Don’t doubt yourself. Persist in mastering control of what you think, say, and do. You can’t control others, but you CAN control YOURSELF.
Ponder the thought for a while….
I CHALLENGE YOU! Print or copy the reminders (Control yourself. etc.). Read them each morning, noon, and evening at meal time. Take one small goal, and retrain your thinking.
I’d love to hear what you think. Please, take a moment and leave me a comment.
