The Journey to Becoming Disciplined

We all have moments in our lives in which we feel we are squandering our potential and are not living up to our ambitions. This moment came for me when I noticed I had completely disregarded my responsibilities and was stuck in a comfort zone that precluded me from growing. But eventually, I realized that this lifestyle was not sustainable and it didn’t align with my values. I noticed that I needed to realign myself with my values and needed to take action to do so.

The first step in my journey to becoming disciplined was to start building positive habits. I began by generating self-love. Self-love is the act of unconditionally treating yourself in a manner that is conducive to your growth and development as a person. There are many ways to develop self-love and the attainment of it can vary for most people. Regardless, some of the ways to develop self-love include, but are not limited to, being assertive, forgiving yourself, learning from your mistakes, asking for help, saying positive things to yourself, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and more.

I read a book called "Atomic Habits" which introduced me to the idea of consistent, incremental improvement and debunked the notion of overnight change. This book helped me to change my perspective on my habits, which enabled me to build new, salubrious habits. For context, "Atomic Habits" is a book written by James Clear, and it is about the power of small habits and how they can lead to significant improvements in our lives. The book focuses on the idea that small, consistent changes to our daily habits can lead to big results over time. Clear argues that the key to making lasting change is to focus on creating "atomic habits," which are small, incremental changes that are easy to implement and maintain.

The book offers practical and actionable advice on how to create, maintain, and improve habits. Clear provides a framework for understanding how habits work, and he explains how to use habit stacking, the four laws of behavior change, and other techniques to make small changes to our routines. The book also covers how to overcome common obstacles such as procrastination, lack of motivation, and the allure of instant gratification. Clear also delves into the psychology of habits, and how to change the environment and identity that shape our behavior. He explains how to create an environment that supports your goals, and how to become the type of person who naturally embodies the habits you want to adopt.

Overall, "Atomic Habits" is a comprehensive guide to creating and maintaining good habits. It provides a clear and actionable system for making lasting changes in your life, and it is an easy read. For anyone looking to purchase this book, it can be found here: https://amzn.to/3wkZ1QD

While motivation can help with getting you going, motivation doesn’t keep you going. Discipline does. Motivation alone was not enough to sustain these habits. I found that when my motivation waned, so did my habits. The key is to build long-lasting habits. By setting small, achievable goals, making plans to achieve them, and working at them every day, I was able to build momentum and eventually do more than the initial requirement.

Another habit that has greatly impacted my life is reading information that is related to your goals. It may be cliché, but attention goes to where energy flows. I’ve found that cutting things out that don’t align with my goals have helped me in various aspects of my life. For example, if my goal is to wash my car, then consuming information related to that topic will put me in a better position to achieve it. A great way to consume content related to your goals is through an e-reader - the one I recommend most is a Kindle (https://amzn.to/3ZWAVJI). I highly recommend investing in an e-reader as it offers many benefits such as portability, instant book buying, and access to free e-books and resources through the Kindle app. By utilizing a Kindle, you make it easier to access and consume information related to your goals, which can help you stay motivated and focused on achieving them.

In conclusion, my journey to becoming disciplined has been a continuous process of building positive habits, setting small goals, and consistently working towards them. Reading "Atomic Habits" helped me understand the power of small, incremental changes and how to create and maintain good habits. Additionally, self-love and reading information related to my goals have also played a crucial role in my journey. I hope my experience can help others who are also looking to become more disciplined in their lives.