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Lacking self-discipline? 10 ways to instill self- discipline

Having difficulty waking up for classes in college? Are you always in trouble with your boss because you can't meet your deadlines? Are you always the last one to arrive for an important meeting yet nothing significant was holding you back? Do you have the dreaded postponement syndrome? Then I'm talking to you. You need to pay attention.

Cherop was an all-rounder in school and we all marveled albeit on the sidelines about how great she was at sports or how she was always number one in the whole stream, Jelimo could do no wrong. To our young eyes in primary school she had it all and she seemed to have a certain air about her that made it all seem effortless. Fast-forward years later, she went on to Alliance and then to MIT ( The Massacheusets Institute for Technology) on a full scholarship. MIT is the college to attend if you're a budding technology geek and getting full scholarship is not that easy. In short she has done very well for herself. Question is have I?

What we were not able to see as young children was that Cherop had discipline. We're always told when we're young that we should always work hard but what exactly does working hard mean? Discipline breeds hard work. I have come to learn over the years that discipline is the most important ingredient to being successful. It is the stepping stone to working hard or working smart as we like to say these days. As adults, we are products of the kind of socialization we received as children. The environment and society shape the kind of people we are but most importantly our families are our first agents of socialization and they greatly determine the kind of outlook we will have in life.

 Discipline is easily instilled in children but as we approach puberty and ultimately become adults it's a different ball game altogether. As human beings we are always learning. Whether what we are learning is building or breaking our character is to be questioned. Discipline can be taught in different ways to children but we have to understand that it is a skill and that those who lack discipline probably didn't learn it as a child. So how can you instill self- discipline in yourself?

According to psychcentral.com here are 10 steps to learning self-discipline,

  • Recognize that it's not your fault. You are not weak or defective so stop blaming yourself.
  • View it as nothing more than a problem which must be solved. This is simply a skill that you must teach yourself.
  • Choose one specific area in which you struggle. For example, I just happen to suffer from a case of the postponement syndrome.
  • Set up a goal that is very specific. For example, I will not postpone going to class to binge watch on a whole season of Vampire diaries.
  • Set up a daily tracking sheet. This is to help you keep track of any progress made and what areas you need to work on the most.
  • Tell someone your goal. Sharing is caring and accountability to someone else always gets us on our feet.
  • Each time you succeed, mark it on your tracking sheet. And feel proud of yourself.
  • Accept that failure is built into every learning process. You will fail but your end goal should be to master this skill that has eluded you for many years.
  • When you fail, hold yourself accountable by marking it on the tracking sheet. Explore your reasons for failing to adhere to your set goal and what can be done to change a negative outcome to a positive one. Don't blame yourself; failure is just a part of the process not an overall representation of you.

Keep working on this one problem before you take on another. I would have to work on not always postponing previously made plans or engagements.

My father always tells me learning never ends and although he may mean education, I believe it is also applicable in everyday life and that we can always improve and become better versions of our selves’ every day.