“The first and best victory is to conquer self.”
-Plato
A dream cannot exist without a foundation of laws and rules supporting and structuring the intentions we want to manifest. All this is only possible by disciplining yourself. Map out what needs to be done and commit to the plan.
Life Coaching
Discipline. Just the word conjures up images of confinement, censor, the wagging finger, the Principal’s office. Yet Self-Discipline speaks of an effort that is affirming, purposeful, and meaningful. A word, an active process that denotes there is a goal in mind, a positive result at hand.
Self- discipline is needed to traverse the world we live in as our spine is needed to keep our bodies upright. Our culture has transformed from one built on the Puritan work ethic, of hard work, focused effort and teamwork, to one of the individual’s mindless pleasures, greed and gluttony. We celebrate these excesses, covet them, build our entertainments and life plans around them. Yet, in excess we do not find peace or a sense of achievement. It is through self-discipline, of spirit, body, mind and passion that we connect with our spiritual core, our reason for being. There lies success, professional, financial, and emotional success. There is found a complete synergy between who we are and what we do.
What is self-discipline and how do we do it? In the broadest strokes it is the blueprint for manifesting your intentions whether personal or professional. It is the act of creating the blueprint, following the path and remaining open to the variations that will inevitably come. It is the discipline of intention that will keep you on point and on task whether you answer to an employer, are a team leader, or an entrepreneur who needs to motivate yourself every day.
Self- discipline applies across the spectrum of your life from your effort to eat healthily, exercise daily, love generously, listen carefully, give freely, choose wisely and face your fears. Self- discipline can be a hard task to maintain but if one can surrender to the possibilities uncovered by the comfort of the process, the daily steps, self-discipline can be the key to happiness.
Action Tip
Self-discipline is as personal to each of us as is the genetic makeup of our cells, the dreams we dream at night, or the people we love. Self-discipline when enacted in just one area of our lives can be infectious and inspirational leading to direct expression of intention in most, or all areas, and at our highest manifestation. So begin at the beginning and see where it takes you.
Identify an area of your life in which you believe that self-discipline will inspire you and motivate you forward towards your intention. It may be a simple as saying goodbye to sugar in your diet, adding a walk around the block to your daily routine, taking 30 minutes a day to write in a journal, or dropping your change from your morning coffee into a collection box each day. Professionally it may be focusing each day on active listening with your colleagues, taking care to intuit how your email reads to the recipient before you send it, or planning a new strategy to a goal and taking a step or two towards it.
A step-by-step plan for Self-Discipline
1. Visualize your intention. Write it down. 2. Visualize those things that block you from your intention. Write them down. 3. Plan how you will address the things that impede you with an action for each day. Write it down. 4. Visualize your blue print to your intention. 5. Take daily steps towards your goal.
Presentation Tip
Self-Discipline enables you to be prepared to take chances and handle success, and even failure with grace. Winging it, while sometimes successful, never teaches you how to manifest your intentions purposefully.
Make sure you have identified the true intention, the true goal of your presentation. Map a blue print as to how you will communicate your point, product or service to best accomplish your intention.
Rehearse your presentation to trusted friends or colleagues for input.
Discipline yourself to accept comments without hurt. You don’t need to agree with or use all you hear as each person speaks from their own perspective. It is that perspective that will give you the information you need to give a successful presentation.
Revise, review and practice again. You must know your message, believe in its value. Openly and with the self-discipline born of preparedness share your message with others. It is self-discipline in action that will prepare you to give your presentation without fear and with the confidence needed to manifest your intention.