5 Steps to Empower your Self-Discipline

 So what keeps you creating and producing when you are wanting to just chill out?

Maybe the heat is making you feel like a pile of mush.

Or perhaps you are busy creating but you’ve been putting on the back burner:
filling out your tax report, working on your fall marketing campaign, or just strategizing your social media/blog/ezine posts for July.

Could it be that your self-discipline needs a kick in the B-hind?

“Self-discipline is the magic power that makes you virtually unstoppable.” ~ Dan Kennedy

Self-discipline allows you to stop saying “I’m too busy”, “I don’t have time”, etc These are just excuses. I don’t know about you, but I could often use more self-discipline or excuse banishing power!

5 Steps to Empower your Self-Discipline:

1. Do Your Sunday Summit 

   Plan out your week ahead of time. I choose to do this on Sunday, but you can choose any day of the week. 
It’s time to reflect on your 3 goals for the week, and then brain dump all the action steps needed to accomplish those goals.

   Why? By planning out the steps, the goal is not this ginormous elephant you have to eat in one sitting. It allows your brain to see the parts, know with certainty what is required to complete it, and your subconscious can then work on it.

   “Failing to plan is planning to fail. Plan and set goals and visualize them. Master this skill.” ~David Cameron Gikandi

   You will have a huge rush of momentum at your back on Monday morning if you just take 30 minutes to do this one exercise on Sunday!

2. Be Prepared and Prompt
   
   Be prepared for every appointment, every deadline, and every call ahead of the time you must be there. This means approaching each task as if it’s “the show” or “the game”. It’s not a dress rehearsal. You get each day as a gift. Don’t waste it away.

   If you play your life like it’s practice, when it comes time to perform, how do you expect to win?

   Show up on time, or early, when you have an appointment or deadline.   It’s something I have to work on because I put too much on my plate and work from one deadline to another. By being prompt you are showing the other person the utmost respect and gaining their trust.

   Don’t forget, most importantly, that you must show up for yourself on time and within your deadlines. If you don’t respect your own time and your own deadlines, you can’t maintain your confidence or self-discipline….and frankly you can’t expect anyone else to either.

3. Meet Your Deadlines
   
   Oh boy…guilty here.
   Stop saying yes to everything. Clear your schedule of things that are not an absolute yes, that do not give you a big ROI (return on investment), that don’t take you one step closer to your goals, and that does not make your life richer and happier!

   It’s just like elimination or de-cluttering. That energy is all stopped up. When your schedule is full, no more abundance can come to you. If it’s filled with junk the good stuff just passes you by!

   A powerful story:
   Nan-in, the Japanese master of the Meiji era, who poured his visitor a cup of tea. He continued to pour and the tea began to overflow. The visiting professor said “It is overfull. No more will go in!”
   “Like this cup, ” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup.”

   If you just stack one deadline on top of another you are asking to be overwhelmed, tired, and emotional. Plus you aren’t likely to make the deadlines which results in you beating yourself up, losing future opportunities, and losing integrity.

4. Make It A Habit by Making It An Appointment
   
   You know those doctors that charge when you don’t show up? You need to impose a penalty upon yourself if you don’t show up or finish your action steps.
   Set reasonable goals and action steps for the week. Schedule time into your day to reasonably attend to those actions steps. Follow thru and exercise that self-discipline to keep those habits by practicing them.

   When you accomplish your goals, projects, show up, and succeed this builds more confidence and self-discipline!

   More importantly, celebrate even the smallest of accomplishments. We do not do this enough. We focus too much on what we didn’t get done, when we didn’t show up, instead of doing a big, huge Snoopy dance, when we finish each action step.

   Connecting emotions to success is a big self-discipline booster!

5. Take Action
   
   This is my mantra with my Artful Success Students. They hear it over and over again.

   It’s fairly simple:

   • Have a plan
   • Do the work
   • Experience momentum and energy
   • Implement self-discipline and habit
   • Enjoy and celebrate the success
   • rinse and repeat
      

Don’t forget to leave a comment and get entered to win a F*R*E*E give-away from Whole Lotta Whimsy! Drawing is July 30th, 2012!