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How do you develop self-discipline?

Tesseract

Banned
Screw big lists. Start small.

Every weekday morning, do 3 sets of max pushups. Start with on your knees if you must. Value form over speed and quantity.

Do this. As you build strength, and build self discipline and self worth into your daily pattern, you will begin to naturally seek out other failings and correct them. Your body and mind will force you to align your other habits. You will want to alter your diet, you will want to start challenging yourself to dips, pullups, etc. [If you add pullups to your regiment, I recommend the Armstrong program].

Seriously, though - open challenge to anyone who feels like they are flailing about. Do 3 max sets of pushups every day and report back in 1 month, and 2 months as to your state of mind.

[And clean yer room]

based auto
 

MetalAlien

Banned
Screw big lists. Start small.

Every weekday morning, do 3 sets of max pushups. Start with on your knees if you must. Value form over speed and quantity.

Do this. As you build strength, and build self discipline and self worth into your daily pattern, you will begin to naturally seek out other failings and correct them. Your body and mind will force you to align your other habits. You will want to alter your diet, you will want to start challenging yourself to dips, pullups, etc. [If you add pullups to your regiment, I recommend the Armstrong program].

Seriously, though - open challenge to anyone who feels like they are flailing about. Do 3 max sets of pushups every day and report back in 1 month, and 2 months as to your state of mind.

[And clean yer room]

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bati

Member
Just do it, there's really no other way. Then set a tangible goal, for example "I will stick with activity X for 2 months, no excuses, and I'll give it my best". After 2 months you examine the progress and if you were honest with yourself and really gave it your best you will see results, and it will motivate you to stick to the routine and maintaining discipline will become much easier.
 

Old Retro

Member
This thread has some good mojo going on. :lollipop_blowing_kiss: I've hit a plateau in my life and it feels like I'm just going through the motions. I'm much too complacent, even though I have a bunch of unfinished projects I need to finish. I even bought Kobe Bryant's book The Mamba Mentality, hoping it will light a fire under my ass.
 

rykomatsu

Member
Most of the self-help around self discipline that's around is more around building a support structure to enable good habits. However, I've also found that they don't address a fundamental flaw in self discipline help - that you yourself need to want it for any changes to be sustainable.

Let's take getting fit and working out
  • Most will suggest working with a partner for accountability
  • Most will suggest taking away obstacles (such as finding classes that meet your schedule, a convenient location to work out, etc)
  • Most will suggest starting in slow and short steps (ie. start with a consistent 15 min walk every day) and working your way up
However, if you don't really want this beyond superficially saying "I should get fit", then the moment the support structure disappears, you will not be able to sustain the desired lifestyle.

There are certain generic indicators that will indicate that you really do want something beyond the superficial level (again, using fitness as an example)
  • If some type of workout isn't working out for you, you will actively try other things (ie. weightlifting not for you, you might give swimming a try) without really talking about "I should maybe try swimming"
  • Even during this transitory phase of finding the right activity, you'll get irritated if you don't work out and find some excuse to fit the workout you don't like in
  • You'll start to schedule your day around these activities
    • Or you'll make time - too late to get to a workout? You'll likely end up buying some cheap equipment to fill in for scheduling (I ended up getting a set of heavy bands since I can't drop dumbbells and barbells in my home)
  • Beyond day-to-day, you'll start to show interest in extracurricular activities (partaking in a power lifting event, trying out a triathlon, etc)
  • When you travel, you will actively try to add working out into your schedule, whether it be with bringing that heavy band with you, finding a drop-in gym, etc
  • Basically, it becomes self sustaining - but likely you wouldn't have needed all of the tips if you had coincidentally started yourself on a whim.
That said, imho these self-help guides are really more about discovering what is sustainable for you, rather than bringing sustainability to anything you don't particularly find value in (or find less value in than your bane...like pigging out on junkfood).

[And clean yer room]

Didn't realize Jordan Peterson got out of rehab in Russia already!
 
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