From Stalling to Starting: Making Discipline Your Ally

If you answered yes to any of the above or have something you would love to do and know you should do but have yet to do it, this article is for you.

I know I have been in this place. For years, in fact, for decades, I squandered time and didn’t keep myself accountable for the 24 hours handed out to me day after day. I took time for granted. In my mid-30s, it hit me hard that I had done nothing with my life. I looked back on my life, and the things I had achieved came purely out of luck (I call it God’s grace). I had it because I was at the right place at the right time with the right people. It wasn’t because I prepared for it and went on to achieve it. There was no active participation on my end. 

I wanted to turn this story around. Up until this point in my life, I have never read a book cover to cover. I would start reading but would never get around to finish reading it. I would get distracted, or life just happened, and the book went to the back burner before I knew it; I was holding on to another book, and I didn’t finish that one either. You get the picture; there was no commitment and consistency in what I did.

I slowly started to piece my life together. I committed to doing one thing well. When I fixed it, I added one more to the already-established habit and built it from there. Today, I have a list of healthy habits that have given me great results. I read books from start to finish consistently. I exercise consistently. I spend time with God, meditating and praying. I started going to places on time, and my list grew as I grew. So what happened? I started small, but I started.

I exercised discipline in all I did, and I changed my identity from someone who found excuses for why I didn’t get to do what I promised to do to someone who walked the walk and talked the talk. I stick to my discipline, which got me to where I am today.

How can you start?

Identify what you want to change — what you constantly give excuses for. The thing that you are not proud of. Deep down, you know you can do better. Make a list of those areas. Prioritize them based on their importance and impact, and pick one or two items from your list.

When should you start?

Now. Act on your priorities now. Seize the moment! Don’t make excuses. Please don’t say I’ll make a fresh start next year, or tomorrow I will do it. It’s now or never.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now.

Chinese Proverb

The 3 Ps

Plan – Put a plan together  

I will read for at least 5 minutes every day before bed. I will work out three days a week at 6 a.m. I will save 10% of my salary for the future.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Benjamin Franklin

Prepare – Prepare your environment

This is the key to all habits. Prepare the environment so it’s easy to execute. If you plan to exercise first thing in the morning, put your running shoes and your running gear out. If you plan to watch less TV and read more books before bed, move your TV from your bedroom to the basement. If you plan to read more and scroll through your social media posts less, make a rule that you won’t open those apps after 7 p.m. Now you have the time and can invest it on yourself and your well-being. 

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but building the new.

Dan Millman

Perform – Put into action

Act on the plan. I am not going to sugarcoat this for you. Acting on what you committed is the hardest step of all. You need to ‘just do it’ (Nike). Discipline is painful. Discipline is hard. But you have to do it.

• Waking up early and going for a run on a cold winter day is hard, but it leads to a healthier lifestyle. 
• Putting aside money for your future instead of splurging on purchases, which is gratifying at the moment, is painful but leads to financial freedom. 
• Choosing a salad over a burger is not too appetizing at the moment, but it contributes to feeding your body with a nutritious and healthy diet and helps with weight management.
• Setting aside time to invest in your personal development when your life is already busy is hard and seems impossible. But it will lead to confidence, personal growth and career advancement.
• Picking a book and reading is not fun when you can mindlessly scroll through your social media feed, but it leads to vocabulary expansion and mental stimulation.

The list goes on. Doing the right thing and the thing that is good for your future is always unpleasant at the present. A quote that has dramatically helped me with the pain of discipline is

Today I will do what others won’t so tomorrow I can have what others can’t.

Jerry Rice