Steer Your Life Towards Your Desired Destination

Do you feel like your self-discipline has slipped since the start of the new year? Despite making promises to yourself to accomplish certain tasks or goals, you find yourself falling behind. This lack of self-discipline prevents you from fulfilling your New Year's resolutions and achieving your dreams.

Many of us struggle with self-discipline because we don't understand the difference between discipline and self-discipline. I realized this while substitute teaching during the pandemic and seeing students struggle with self-discipline when working from home.

Students admitted that they didn't do their work because they didn't feel like it, even though they knew they should. Adults face similar challenges with self-discipline in different areas of life because, like students, they are used to being disciplined by others rather than being self-disciplined.

So what is the difference?

Discipline is when someone else enforces a plan or agenda with consequences, such as at work or in school. Self-discipline, on the other hand, involves taking the necessary actions to reach your goals despite not feeling motivated. It is about holding yourself accountable and not needing someone to watch over you.

Self-discipline requires sacrifice: choosing higher-nature activities over lower-nature activities that impede progress. It is about making daily choices to move toward success, even when faced with obstacles. Developing self-discipline is a continuous process that involves creating your own plan and agenda. You take the steering wheel of your life and direct it with persistence to any destination you desire.

Here are three ways you can keep steering your life toward your desired destination:

1) Define Clear Goals: Identify specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that you wish to attain. Write them down and review them regularly to keep focused on what you want to achieve.

2) Establish Accountability: Create a system of accountability for yourself. This could involve tracking your progress, setting up rewards for milestones achieved, or finding an accountability partner who can help keep you on track.

3) Embrace Routine: Develop a daily routine that incorporates activities geared towards your goals. Prioritize tasks that contribute to your success and practice performing them consistently, even when you lack motivation.

Although setbacks may arise, always strive to move forward towards the success you desire, because You Are WORTHY TO BE GREAT!