hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn about seven secrets to building
self-discipline now let's begin number one define your purpose self-discipline starts first thing in
the morning now i'm not talking about waking up early or getting a good night's rest i'm talking
about your morning mindset all the thoughts that occupy your brain right when you wake up many of
us spend the first few minutes of the day worrying yeah you're anxious about the chores you need to
do anxious about responsibilities and expectations the first thing in the morning your thoughts are
self-defeating and discouraging your day begins with worry and self-doubt because the first thing
on your mind isn't happiness it's pressure it's fear it's all the things you feel forced to do
each day you have to drive to work you have to impress your boss you have to climb the corporate
ladder when harsh expectations flood your brain in the morning what happens to your motivation
it plummets and so does your self-control you may even feel a sense of resentment towards your job
your schedule or your lifestyle but unless you make a change you'll never build the
self-discipline that you're looking for if you want to develop discipline this one secret can
transform the way you look at your life it only takes a few seconds of your time each morning
you don't need to practice an elaborate routine you don't have to spend weeks struggling to get
it right all you have to do is think differently when you wake up tomorrow morning just try this
when your brain starts to worry about your crowded schedule ask yourself one question what makes
today valuable to me now don't think about all the responsibilities on your plate don't worry about
the pressure other people put onto you don't give in to those toxic fears of failure and inadequacy
instead you find the reason why you get out of bed in the morning it could be a burning passion
a creative interest a silent determination to make a difference you may get out of
bed to help a loved one or just to enjoy your favorite pastime everyone conceptualizes purpose
differently to some it's a lifelong journey toward one lofty goal to others it's a sense of
satisfaction or happiness you may answer the same question differently every single day on monday
you're passionate about your work on tuesday you're looking forward to a new opportunity and
on wednesday you may get out of bed just to enjoy your favorite breakfast hey no matter what purpose
value or emotion you're chasing remind yourself why you do it as you develop self-discipline
your reason why will become a powerful source of motivation and inspiration it only takes a few
seconds every morning so don't let another day go by without defining your purpose
number two tolerate discomfort discomfort is another important part of self-discipline but
what does it mean to tolerate discomfort to accomplish a greater goal you have to step
outside your comfort zone all right let's say for example you want to improve your work ethic
well that's a large long-term goal so you have to start small maybe you start by changing your
schedule you decide to wake up earlier or you spend more time at the office in the
moment those changes feel uncomfortable but each small sacrifice snowballs into a long-term reward
if you want to build self-discipline you need to become a master of long-term gratification
but you don't have to master this difficult habit overnight instead practice tolerating
small amounts of discomfort each time you wake up early you're improving your self-control
each time you work for an extra hour you're strengthening your resolve these small
sacrifices add up creating a greater strength in the face of temptation your self-discipline will
grow your tolerance for discomfort will improve and you'll take steps toward your ultimate goal
number three deconstruct catastrophes what happens when you push yourself into an uncomfortable
position you may realize it's not nearly as bad as you imagined on the outside looking in every
moment of discomfort seems like a catastrophe you imagine all the ways a risk could blow up
in your face you envision yourself becoming a spectacular failure you worry the world
will crumble at your feet and that imaginary disaster drives you further down the easy road
but as you build self-discipline you may discover these disasters are all in your head the truth is
you have more control than you think and that control will give you a surge of personal power
it awards you the confidence to believe in yourself no matter what goal you're chasing you
need to believe in yourself you need to have faith in your ability to survive and persevere otherwise
you stand no chance of finding success so what's the third secret to building self-discipline
you can handle much more than you think no matter how terrified you feel no matter how
impossible an obstacle seems give yourself credit because you're far more capable than you realize
number four external empowerment self-discipline isn't something you develop on your own you can
and should rely on other people for support in fact many disciplined people empower themselves
by empowering others first self-discipline doesn't always come from within some people
discover a deeper intrinsic passion that fuels their lifelong calling but not everyone has
the same experience you may find motivation by engaging with your community by helping people
achieve things they never could on their own if you're struggling to find value inside yourself
then look outward do something that makes a difference in someone else's life often times
when we help another person we go above and beyond we surpass our mental limitations and discover
how much we're capable of but how does helping others translate into discipline and self-control
well empowering your community could be the reason you get up in the morning making someone smile may
motivate you to sacrifice your free time or work long hours if you want to build self-discipline
you need a powerful reason why helping others may be the lifelong motivator that you're looking for
number five remember your dailies self-discipline will help you achieve lofty far away goals
but before you can achieve your long-term dreams you have to start small you have to
build self-discipline slowly but surely because you can't handle the full responsibility of your
ultimate goals at least not yet self-discipline grows by altering small daily habits the way you
eat the time you sleep the hours you work these daily adjustments create a strong foundation
on which you transform your mindset construct your future and accomplish your goals over time you'll
climb higher and achieve more but never forget where you started self-discipline is like a ladder
throughout your life you'll steadily climb to higher rungs but the rungs below you never
disappear instead they act as a safety net waiting to catch you when you fall oh just think about it
like this you're climbing up a ladder when suddenly you miss a step your hand slips and
you slide down the ladder but instead of falling all the way to the bottom you catch yourself on a
lower rung self-discipline works the same way when you experience failure or run into an obstacle
your daily routine will be there to catch you no matter what you can always fall back on the habits
that helped you find success in the first place so never forget the little things yeah you will
fall sometime in your life it happens to everybody but if you maintain your daily habits and routines
you'll catch yourself quickly and climb back up to the top
number six survive the slumps slumps are inevitable even the most disciplined people
in the world struggle every once in a while your motivation may falter you may find it difficult
to stay focused you may wake up in the morning and forget what goals that you're striving for
in those moments bad habits become more alluring than ever when you lack your usual passion or
excitement you feel the urge to just give in you're tempted to take the easy road
you start to lose control of yourself and slip further down the ladder sometimes one slump can
send you tumbling down to rock bottom to help you survive your slumps here's another secret
to building self-discipline you don't have to progress leaps and bounds every single day some
days you'll feel like you're on top of the world and on those days push yourself to improve but
other days you'll struggle just to maintain the status quo on those days normalcy is all you need
hey don't worry about exceeding your expectations don't force yourself to face new challenges
simply preserve your daily habits eventually your slump will end and that passion and
enthusiasm will come surging back and you'll find yourself making more progress than ever
number seven self-forgiveness last but not least self-discipline relies heavily on forgiveness
after a slump or failure do you beat yourself up do you get angry at yourself for accomplishing
too little do you get frustrated that you're not progressing fast enough many people do they
linger on their failures attacking and criticizing themselves over and over again but look you can't
change the past you can't undo the time you've wasted or the damage you've done all you can
do is learn and improve so just spend some time reflecting on why things went wrong isolate the
problems and brainstorm solutions and then just let yourself off the hook stop beating yourself
up forgive yourself for making a mistake and give yourself a second chance to succeed hey thank you
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