No, you don’t have to live like a spartan in order to be disciplined; you also don’t have to shave your head and go to a place where it’s cold in order to accomplish your objectives.
But dedication is what it takes to reach your objectives.
Most individuals claim to desire to run a marathon or become the next CEO, yet it wouldn’t be shocking if you saw them arriving late for work or missing a workout.
They don’t show enough dedication. But they are, disciplined individuals.
How dedicated and focused individuals are to their aims may teach us a lot.
They concentrate on various topics, but none of them are remarkable from birth.
1. They Like Building Personal Systems
James Clear, a writer, once said that victors and losers have the same objective.
This proves that having a specific objective isn’t the only thing you need. It requires the addition of an efficient system, which are habits.
Every objective has a series of related stages.
It’s difficult to write and finish a novel in one day, which is why renowned author Stephen King takes his time with it.
At least 60 books have been published by him thus far throughout his literary career.
What is he hiding? daily writing of six pages or 2000 words. No less and definitely not any more.
He has been able to finish so many of his works because to his commitment and consistency.
2. They Don’t Rely On Motivation
When you’d rather sleep for 5 (or 30) more minutes, it’s hard to motivate oneself to workout.
Everyone experiences it, even athletes.
Michael Phelps, who has won 23 Olympic gold medals, remarked in an interview that “it’s what you do on those days that will help you go ahead.”
Disciplined individuals show up when others wouldn’t, which is something that other people don’t do.
They don’t wait until they are inspired to write, and they don’t put off exercising because they don’t feel like it.
Once the habit is established, they are aware that halting now would only reverse their progress.
They concentrate on their daily tasks and do them, whether they are motivated or not.
3. They Prefer Clear Goals
They can’t just declare that they’re going to “reduce weight”; that is insufficient. It’s too broad.
Disciplined individuals use words purposefully to provide a clear picture of what they desire to happen.
Therefore, individuals can state “By December of this year, I am going to weigh X kilos” rather than “I want to reduce weight.” or “I will lose Y pounds by December 1st to meet my objective of X,” for example.
These are known as S.M.A.R.T. objectives. They are Timely, Specific, Measurable, Achievable, and Realistic.
Having a clear understanding of your goals also improves performance.
According to research conducted by K. Blaine Lawler and Martin J. Hornyak at the University of Florida, those who follow the S.M.A.R.T. goals technique are expected to do better than those who don’t.
4. They Stay Focused
Any distraction will catch your attention if your attention isn’t on one item.
Nowadays, it’s simpler to get distracted since there is so much stuff vying for our attention.
However, the more distracted you get, the less progress you’ll likely achieve.
Focus is a muscle that we can exercise.
By being aware of their activities and in the moment, disciplined individuals make it stronger.
This makes it possible for disciplined individuals, such as sportsmen and artists, to enter a state of flow.
They reach their optimal performance when time rushes by and their mind and body seem to be operating on their own.
They run the risk of losing their momentum when they get distracted.
It takes too much energy for the mind to then reset and gradually build up to it once again.
Distractions are detrimental, thus disciplined individuals try to minimize them as much as possible.
5. They’re Resourceful
There may be times when you want to work quietly but it rains when you intended to go for a run, or your neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking.
Others may only promise to try again later while blaming outside influences.
However, disciplined individuals own up to their mistakes. If anything prevents them, they will find a different route around it. They benefit from their surroundings.
It’s pouring outside. Perhaps it’s time for a bodyweight exercise session at home.
It’s becoming too distracting outside. Perhaps a different location in the home might work.
They always manage to do it.
