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Home Comfort Zone What Is Self-Discipline?

What Is Self-Discipline?
BY STEVE MUELLER LAST EDIT: MARCH 20TH, 2016

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Your success depends on many dierent variables. Skills, habits and all kinds of attitudes contribute
largely to your individual achievements. Even though there are many important variables, there is
one that stands above the rest: self-discipline. Nothing else determines your success in life quite as
much as the ability to be self-disciplined. Lets discover what self-discipline really is and how we can
use it to excel in life. Heres an answer to the question: What is self-discipline?

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Self-discipline is vital for success. In fact, its the number one characteristic needed to successfully
pursue your dreams. Its impact can be felt throughout all areas of life. If youre serious about the

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accomplishment of your dreams and living a happy life, self-discipline is crucial (see also: Essential
Strategies to Increase Self-Discipline).

The Science of Self-Discipline

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The benet of high levels of self-control was highlighted by scientists who found that there exists a
strong connection between self-discipline and life satisfaction. The results of the study indicated that
people with high levels of self-control are in general happier. Further research found that children
who showed high levels of self-discipline later on became adults with greater health and wealth.
But what is self-discipline really? Whats the concept words such as willpower, self-control and selfdiscipline describe?

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Day after day, we are confronted with numerous decisions. A high level of self-control allows us to
meet the decision that is most benecial in the long run. This ability helps us to withstand the
temptation of choosing the most comfortable or pleasurable decision. Opting for the easiest

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solution might be quite attractive, but only for a short while. When viewed from a long-term

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perspective, its very likely that none of these comfortable decisions contribute to your success.

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The danger lies therein that pleasure-oriented decisions typically do not instantly have a negative

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unbenecial micro-decisions will shape your life and will ultimately determine your destiny.

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The Denition of Self-Discipline

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noun selfdiscipline \-di-s-pln\

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The noun self-discipline describes the following:

The ability to do the things that need to be done.

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The ability to train and control ones conduct.

What Is Self-Discipline?

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The ability to control ones feelings and desires.

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The noun self-discipline describes the necessary mental strength that is required to control ones

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behaviors, feelings and desires. If one is self disciplined, it indicates that ones feelings and desires

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are under control. It also shows that one is able to motivate oneself to tackle the tasks and problems
that need to be addressed. If you have a high level of self-discipline, you will not shy away from
diculties and obstacles that stand in your way.

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An Explanation of Self-Discipline
Self-discipline describes not only the necessary willpower required to do what needs to be done. It
also denes the ability to withstand temptations in order to accomplish long-term goals. Basically,
its your ability to ignore everything that does not contribute to the accomplishment of your
objectives. This includes thoughts, feelings and temptations. In fact, self-discipline helps you to
withstand the temptation of distractive activities.
Even though we all struggle to be disciplined enough to get unpleasant things done, there are
people who are more in control of themselves than others. Lets have a look at some of the main
causes why people struggle to master self-control:

The Reasons for a Lack of Self-Discipline

The major reason why most people struggle to be self disciplined lies in a misperception of the
underlying concept. Most individuals misunderstand what self-control truly means. These people
associate self-discipline with something painful or obsessive. They wish that being disciplined is easy
and pleasurable. For this reason, whenever these individuals try to be more disciplined, it turns out

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to be a struggle that simply feels not right to them. They dont like it at all, which is why they quickly
return to their comfort zone.
Heres the major aspect these individuals do not consider when it comes to self-discipline:
The sole purpose of the discipline concept is to make you do things, no matter if its
pleasurable or not.

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For this reason, the intention behind self-discipline is not to give you pleasure and joy. Its only

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objective is to help you accomplish your long-term goals. But why should you cultivate something

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that does not give you joy? The reason for this is simple. All your eorts and pains are rewarded
once you make your dreams come true. And this is the true reason why being a self disciplined
person is so worthwhile. It might not always feel comfortable when you force yourself to stay
disciplined, but ultimately your reward will compensate you.

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Self-control manifests itself in many dierent forms

Heres what you can do if youre struggling with self-discipline.

First of all, try to remove the expectation that one day you might actually like being disciplined. In
most cases, you wont. However, if youre not expecting things to be easy, youll be more likely to

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continue the pursuit of being disciplined. In fact, when you expect things to be dicult, youll be able
to better deal with the struggles you encounter.
Secondly, it is important that you continuously push yourself to maintain self-control. Doing so will
help you to establish the habit of being disciplined. Not only will this habit impact major areas of
your life, but it will also allow you to increase your chances to succeed.
Here are some more reasons why people lack self-control:

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1. Self-discipline isnt inherent. It needs to be developed, strengthened and exercised.

However, most people nd it dicult to do so. If you dont know how to eectively build and
strengthen self-control, its fairly dicult to develop it in the rst place.
2. A misperception of self-control. Many mistakenly perceive self-discipline as something that
is restrictive and painful. They see it as compulsive and are reluctant to strengthen it.
3. Acceptance of failure can also contribute to a lack of self-control. When people can live with
the prospect of failing, itll be dicult to maintain self-discipline.
4. Temptations. We all are confronted with various kinds of temptations on a daily basis. Giving

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in to these temptations resembles the entry of a vicious circle. If you do not have the
necessary willpower to withstand these temptations, itll be even more dicult to break the

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negative habit.

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5. Lack of purpose. A person who lacks a true vision for life will nd more dicult to maintain
discipline. However, if you have a mission that you want to see realized, youll be more likely to
have the necessary willpower to pursue it.
Lets continue with the next point that will help us to further understand what self-discipline is.

Self-Discipline Is like a Muscle

The ability to be disciplined can be likened to a muscle. If its not used, itll deteriorate. However,

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when its used continuously, itll strengthen. In fact, the more you exercise this mental muscle, the
stronger your habit of being disciplined becomes. You will not only get used to it, but after some
time you will notice that you will continuously keep pushing yourself even further.
It is, however, important to start small when it comes to the development of self-control. It is
recommendable not to overdo it in the beginning. Instead, try to start with something small, so as
not to lose motivation. This will not only help you getting used to the new behavior, but it will also
enable you to quickly reap the rst benets. From this point onwards, you can gradually increase the
exertion of your willpower muscle.
Once you have mastered to be disciplined about one aspect in your life, you can add another thing
youd like to change. And as soon as youve mastered this challenge as well you can focus your
attention on something else. As you can see, this approach will help you to transform your life one
step at a time. The only important thing to consider is that you will have to pay close scrutiny to
maintaining a given habit once its established. Do not give in to the temptation of letting your
discipline guards down.

How to Strengthen Self-Discipline?

Heres a quick guide on what you can do to strengthen your self-discipline:
1. Increase your stress tolerance level. High levels of stress will lead you to meet decisions
that are instinct driven and based on short-term gratication. This can be accomplished by
means of exercise and meditation, more on this in the following.
2. Meditate. Meditation is one of the most eective methods to strengthen willpower. It
increases self-awareness, concentration, focus and attention, which allows you to meet more
benecial decisions.
3. Remove distractions. By eliminating temptations and distractions you do not even have to be
more disciplined. All you need to do is to carefully remove these things from your life. No
willpower necessary.
4. Postpone unbenecial behaviors. If you want to break a bad habit it can be tremendously
eective to simply postpone the activity. It will satisfy your craving to a certain degree, helping
you to avoid it eventually.
5. Pay attention to what you eat. If you do not eat properly, youre more likely to be less
concentrated. This manifests itself as a weakened sense of discipline.
6. Break bad habits. Focus on identifying and eliminating negative habits. All it takes is to make
an active decision to change the habit. Once the decision is made, put it to practice and give
your very best to stick to it.
7. Reward yourself. Think about possible gratications for being disciplined. Treat yourself to
something nice, as it will help you to maintain your motivation in the long run.
8. Make a plan. It is most benecial to write down how exactly you intend to be more disciplined
in what area of your life. Develop a clear plan and outline the dierent steps necessary to
accomplish your aim.
9. Tolerate emotional discomfort. One reason we give in to temptations is that we try to avoid
pain. However, in some situations it can be quite benecial for the paucity of your dreams to
tolerate a certain level of emotional discomfort. Discipline will require you to withstand
emotional discomfort.
10. Exercise. Working out regularly has been shown to increase willpower. It is also known to
signicantly increase your ability to withstand stress and distress.
11. Establish powerful habits. Most habits are formed within 30 days. This might seem like a
long time, but once something has turned into a habit, it will no longer be an eort to exercise
it.

Conclusion
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What Exactly Is Self-Discipline?

Self-control is the mental strength that allows you to do whatever necessary, even if you do
not feel like it. Its the ability to withstand dierent kinds of temptations. Individuals that are
self-disciplined control their conduct and feelings to a high level. It might not always be
pleasurable and joyful to be a disciplined person, but ultimately your determination to
pursue your dreams will benet greatly from it. In fact, self-discipline is like a muscle that
can be strengthened. All it takes is the willpower to exert it.

I hope you enjoyed this article on willpower, self-control and self-discipline. Feel free to tell us what
it is that helps you to strengthen your willpower in the comment section below.
Stay victorious!

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ABOUT AUTHOR

STEVE MUELLER
Steve is the founder of Planet of Success, the #1 choice when it comes to motivation, selfgrowth and empowerment. This world does not need followers. What it needs is people who
stand in their own sovereignty. So join us in our quest to live life to the fullest!

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10 COMMENTS

JULIUS on SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 2:51 AM

Inspiring article.Im so fortunate to have read it, how coincidental as Self-Discipline is my major
resolution for 2016. Much thanks Steve, keep up the good work!
REPLY

STEVE MUELLER on SATURDAY, JANUARY 30 8:32 AM

Youre very welcome Julius. What a nice coincidence!

REPLY

SUMIT CHAUHAN on SATURDAY, MARCH 5 5:01 PM

Thanks Steve I was really struggling with discipline, this article came at the right time.
REPLY

STEVE MUELLER on SUNDAY, MARCH 6 7:17 AM

Not a problem at all. Im happy the article helped you.

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Not a problem at all. Im happy the article helped you.
REPLY

SOURISH on MONDAY, MARCH 21 3:46 PM

What does this short term gratication mean ?

REPLY

STEVE MUELLER on TUESDAY, MARCH 22 6:18 AM

To reward yourself for smaller accomplishments.

REPLY

SOURISH on TUESDAY, MARCH 22 3:06 PM

Is it benecial in the long run ?

REPLY

STEVE MUELLER on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 6:23 AM

Yes indeed it is. If you set a goal and a potential reward youll be
more motivated to accomplish this goal.

SOURISH on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 11:05 AM

Thank you so much Mr. Mueller I am extremely happy that you have cleared my doubts .
REPLY

STEVE MUELLER on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23 5:55 PM

Youre very welcome!

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