Self-Discipline and Why It's

Important
Self-discipline is an important skill every person who wants
to achieve more in life should possess. Self-discipline is
essential in every aspect of life. Even though most people
recognize the benefits of self-discipline, very few do
something to reinforce and grow this beneficial skill.
Contrary to popular belief, self-discipline does not
constitute of being hard on yourself or living a restrictive
lifestyle. Self-discipline most importantly refers to self-
control. It is a sign of inner strength and being able to
control your actions, as well as your reactions. It provides
the power to stick to hard decisions and follow them
through without changing your mind.
One of the main attributes of someone with self-discipline,
is the capability to put aside the desire for immediate
pleasure and enjoyment, in favor of greater success,
which is gained by spending due time and effort setting
goals and breaking them down in small achievable steps.
Why self-discipline is important
The possession of self-discipline motivates you to continue
with your selected plans and decisions, until you achieve
them. It also provides an easy-to-follow guide that keeps
you motivated, increases your inner strength and faith in
yourself and decreases the risk of getting discouraged
and sidetracked.
As we go through life, we find things we enjoy doing and
dream of our ideal life, job, partner, and even house.
Especially as children and teenagers, we let our minds
and imaginations soar and wonder, but soon enough,
reality creeps inside our dream world and shakes us
brutally awake.
Too often, other people’s distorted concepts of reality put
out our dreams and keep us trapped in a daily routine we
don’t enjoy. This is a critical moment, one that is as
important in growing teenagers looking ahead to their
dream careers and futures, as it is to adults seeking for
what it is that really brings them joy.
The real power lies in believing in ourselves enough to not
let that happen. In those moments of self-doubt, it is vitally
important to have faith in ourselves and really pay
attention to what makes our hearts beat a little faster and
our lips smile a little wider. Those small moments offer all
the confirmation necessary to know that we have a
dream worth fighting for, as well as all the motivation
needed to set those goals, and practice self-discipline to
make sure that we follow them through.
Self-discipline is the ability to not give up regardless of
setbacks and failures you face. In fact, it is an important
pillar of stable, long-term success. When attempting to
finally open your dream office, when you finally muster
up the confidence to go on that first audition or to give
your crazy business idea a shot, you must not just be
prepared for the plethora of setbacks that will come your
way, but be excited to finally come face-to-face with
them and show them who’s boss.
As long as you keep getting back up, working hard and
improving, always having your dream and end-goal in
mind, there are no setbacks that can stand in your way.
Self-discipline will help you build your confidence,
helping you realize all that you can accomplish, so that
you can really achieve anything you set your mind to. It
is a skill that will help you understand yourself better and
what is important in life.
The path to success is never easy. It presents problems and
challenges. In order to rise above those challenges, you
must act with determination and perseverance. Lacking
self-discipline may lead to problems such as failure,
relationship tensions, and health issues. But like muscle
training, self-discipline can be built with practice and
consistency.
You can develop and strengthen self-discipline like
any other skill. Setting a clear goal in mind to motivate
you, as well as being confident and believing in
yourself and your skills, can help you improve your self-
discipline in your journey towards achieving your
goals.
Development of self-discipline will help you:
• Avoid carelessness.
• Fulfill promises you make .
• Overcome bad behaviors such as laziness and procrastination.
• Engage in good behaviors like going to the gym, swimming or taking
a walk even when your mind tells you to stay at home.
• Stay focused on your diet and resisting temptation of eating
unhealthy food.
• Waking early in the morning.
• Overcome the bad habit of watching too much television.
• Start reading motivational books, and implementing what you’ve
learned.
• Meditate regularly.
As long as you keep working and developing the skill, you
will become stronger. Keep challenging yourself in every
aspect of life, and your self-discipline as well as your self-
confidence, will help you soar to the version of “you” that
you strive to be.
To find out more about how to discover your own or your
teenager’s dream career and learn how to not be afraid
to pursue your dreams, check out our Dream Career
Coaching for Parents and Teens program!