Alan W. Goff
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A 6 Step Process for Developing Discipline
Have you ever said, “I wish I had more discipline?” I know I have, and I’ve heard it from countless others as well. What would our lives be like if we were in fact more disciplined? Would you be financially free from the discipline of paying off your debt and not getting into more? Would you be healthier, feeling great and energetic living at your ideal weight from the discipline of excersising regularly and eating right? Would you have a balanced work/life environment from the discipline of prioritizing the right things at the right time and sticking to it? Would you have closer relationships with the people who mean the most to you from the discipline of staying away from those ‘negative nannies’ we tend to keep around? Would your business finally be the success you’ve dreampt it would be from the discipline of taking action on those things we need to do but knowingly avoid doing?
Here is a guideline I found some time back that has indeed helped me become more disciplined in all areas of my own life. It’s not a hard process, you just need the discipline to actually do it.
Step 1: Identify one habit or area you would like to become more disciplined in.
The first step is to identify one specific behavior you would like to change. It should be written in behavior style; and it should describe something you now do that you would like to stop doing or something you now don't do consistently and would like to do regularly.
You can use this step to describe the outcome you would like to accomplish. You must however, confine each worksheet to one specific issue or behavior. Attempting to do too much may be discouraging. Each worksheet will take you through this 6 Step process. It only applies to one issue per worksheet.
Step 2: Find role models.
Ask yourself, "Who is doing it right?" By identifying one or more people who have discipline in this area you will see that if others can do it so can you.
The people you list in this section need not be personal acquaintances of yours. You may not know them personally at all. They may be alive or dead. The point here is to cause you to think about specific people whom you believe had control in this area - people you will emulate.
Step 3: List the benefits of becoming self-disciplined in this area.
Now ask yourself, "What's in it for me?" You want to consider why you want to develop in this area. By listing the rewards you will be willing to work harder. You need to feel, smell, taste, see and touch exactly what it will be like once you are strong in this area.
Step 4: Consider the danger zones.
You now need to consider where you might fall. You need to give some thought to the danger zones. You know that if you are going to become more disciplined you will be tempted to fall off the wagon, to be led astray, to procrastinate. If you have been attempting to become more self-disciplined for some time, you know that for you there is a pattern of failure to comply. What happens for you? You start off strongly, then before you know it, you are doing the very things you said you wouldn't or you stopped doing the things you said you would and know you should.
Step 5: Use Advanced Decision Making.
You cannot win in life if you are controlled by whimsical or situational decision-making. If you are to succeed in life, you will need to consider in advance, how you will live your life.
In this step you will need to give some thought to what specific actions you will need to take to accomplish the goal listed in Step 1. For example, if you wanted to become more disciplined in the area of exercise, one decision made in advance could be a decision to exercise every morning upon waking for 45 minutes.
Step 6: Enroll a support team.
This step is by far one of the most crucial. If you don't do this step, you are cheating yourself out of the real power behind this system. It is vital for you to finally becoming the strong and self-disciplined person you know you can and should be. Resist the temptation to avoid this step because it may be different from what you are used to or even comfortable doing. It will literally change your life.
What this will do is force you to do what you said you would and know you should. Find someone to call you at least once a week. Allow yourself to become accountable to this person. This has literally transformed my life and that of my students worldwide.
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