When I was in first grade, my mother enrolled me in piano lessons. Every day after school, I was expected to practice my scales. I hated practicing scales more than anything, but knew that if I completed that dreaded task every afternoon, I would be allowed to play outside with my friends. Anyone who heard me playing those scales—including me—knew I would never be the stand-out star of the annual recital or a concert pianist. Still, I now understand the motivation behind my mother’s resolve to ensure I rehearsed every day. While I was learning to read and play music, she was teaching me the art of self-discipline through a daily practice.
“Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you going.” John C. Maxwell
Throughout your lifetime, you will come up with ideas you believe are innovative, attainable, and even impressive to those around you. As the excitement builds around each idea, you may share it with trusted friends or family members; document related goals; and begin creating a plan forward that you think will turn that idea into a reality. But then just as you’re happily barreling down the highway of possibilities, you suddenly notice that your journey is more challenging than you imagined. As you come to a screeching halt, your motivation wanes as self-doubt creeps in, leaving you feeling vulnerable, discouraged, and perhaps ready to throw in the towel.
This moment is when great leaders take notice because vulnerability like this has the potential to be transformative and promote positive change. What every great leader knows is that in this very moment, they hold the power to move forward, for this moment is when self-discipline kicks in and leads them past the possibilities and into a fulfilling reality.
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments.” Jim Rohn
Practicing self-discipline requires action. In this moment, you must now move from being simply a talker into being a doer by turning bad habits into disciplined daily actions that take you, one step at a time, toward fulfilling your dreams. Whether your goal is to run a marathon, start or grow a business, find a more satisfying career path, or even become the concert pianist I will never be, now is the time to implement daily, disciplined practices that will get you to where you want to go.
Today, begin assessing the daily habits that are currently holding you back from transforming your idea into reality and replace them with actions that will lead you through the discouraging and vulnerable moments to the life-changing realization that it is you who controls the outcome of every idea and, better yet, your overall destiny.
Your vision of success is waiting. Self-discipline is what will get you there.
“Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” Lou Holtz
Vicky DeCoster is a Certified Life Coach based in Omaha, Nebraska, who specializes in helping her clients both locally and nationwide to move past obstacles, create a plan for happiness, and cross the bridge of transition to find a new and fulfilling direction in life. To read more about her and her practice, visit her at crossthebridgecoaching.com.
