There are many qualities that contribute to a person’s success and happiness. However, there is only one quality that begets sustainable, long term success in all aspects of our lives: self-discipline. Self-discipline is the number one trait needed to accomplish goals, lead a healthy lifestyle, and ultimately, be happy. 

We can all agree that entrepreneurship isn’t easy. It’s ESPECIALLY not easy if you are working a 9-5! The number one complaint I hear from entrepreneurs is lack of time. The number one challenge, self-discipline.  

To be a millionaire (if that’s your goal), you must first become a millionaire. Becoming a millionaire doesn’t start with how much money you have in your bank account. It starts with your habits. Your habits and actions create your results.  

There was a study conducted in 2013 by Wilhelm Hofmann, professor at University of Chicago, he concluded that people with high self-discipline were happier than those without. What he found was that highly self-disciplined people were more apt to deal with conflict, set goals, and make positive decisions easily. They spend less time worrying and indulging in behaviors that are detrimental to their health. People that are more disciplined do not allow their choices to be dictated by impulses or feelings. Instead, they make informed, rational decisions on a daily basis without feeling overly stressed or upset.  

So, the question is: How do I become more self-disciplined? 

Self-discipline is learned. It isn’t a natural trait despite what you may think. We all have the ability to become more disciplined, it takes practice and commitment just like anything else in our lives. To become the person you want to be it starts with your commitment to yourself and the path you’ve chosen to partake. I’ve listed 7 ways you can become more disciplined. These habits will help you break bad habits and promote positive changes in your life and business. These habits will provide you more freedom, income, and more happiness.   

1. List your Temptations/Distractions  

Remove distractions from your space. If social media is a big distractor, delete the app from your phone. If that is too extreme, hide the app in a folder marked: Is this the best use of my time? You can also put your phone on airplane mode during the day. If you get distracted by people or chores around the house, then take your work to a coffee shop. Get real and be honest with yourself about what eats up your time.  

1. Set Morning/Nightly Routines  

Routines are vital to success in your business! A study showed that only 2% of people actually plan out their day. Which is now called the 2% club. Let’s put this into perspective. If 1% of the population controls 99% of the money, how many of them do you think are members of the 2% club? I’d bet everything that I have, ALL OF THEM! That is no coincidence. When we spend our entire day reacting to situations rather than responding, we spend our entire life in defense mode. Therefore, getting inconsistent results. Set morning and nightly rituals that put you in a state of having more control of your time.  

1. Set Micro Goals  

We often get so caught up in our long-term goals, which can set us up for failure. Why? Because we are so far detached from the long-term goal we get overwhelmed and stressed. When we are too focused on the end result, we have a hard time noticing all the small successes. Break your goals down into small micro daily goals. This will help you measure your progress and keep you focused. Celebrating your daily successes is CRUCIAL to keeping you on path.   

1. Block Your Schedule  

I’ll admit this is where I struggled the most. It wasn’t until I was in session with my therapist and I admitted I work better during chaos, that I realized things needed to change. I did not want to spend the rest of my life creating chaos and drama in my life and business. At that moment the resistance to time blocking lifted. Blocking certain times in the day for tasks will not only help you to stay on track but prioritize your time.   

1. Understand That There is Know Such Thing as Failure  

The fear of failure gets us every time. We get caught up in this fear that it prevents us from giving it our all! Don’t let this ridiculous fear hold you back from your greatness. Those who have the success we seek don’t see failure as failure, they see it as opportunity. The difference between successful people and those not so successful, is that successful people fail more often and make the choice to stand up every time they’ve been knocked down. Failure is just opportunity for growth. If you’re not growing, you’re dying.   

1. Reward Yourself 

In the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ Napoleon Hill talks about transmutation. For those of you who read the book he specifically talks about sexual transmutation. However, transmutation can be used with anything. Transmutation is holding off on something you love until you complete a particular project. One of my clients loves her coffee in the morning. First thing in the morning she must have her coffee. Her coffee is now used as a reward for completing her morning routine. After she completes her morning routine she gets her coffee. It’s a reward. Set a goal and combine it with a reward.  

1. Know Your Why!!!! 

I saved the best and most important for last. If you know your why, and your why is as big as the sky, no challenge can ever get in your way of obtaining your goal. When I say know your why, I mean your REAL WHY! Your real why will push you forward and get you out of bed when all odds are against you. Your why isn’t to change the world. Your why isn’t to serve others. Your why is deep and it MUST BE ABOUT YOU!!!! We all have this deep, core push that makes us want to make a big difference in the lives of others. We must know this. Making a big difference in “Susie’s” life is great and can give us deep satisfaction. But the reason it does, is because we see ourselves in “Susie”. That is your why is not to change Susie, but the projection we place on “Susie”. Know this and nothing can stop you!  

I’m not saying to make all these changes all at once. DO NOT SET YOURSELF UP FOR FAILURE!!! Take small incremental changes one at a time to make a big difference in your life and business. The more you can implement these changes into your daily habits the closer you will get to achieving your life long goals. If you slip or have a bad day, don’t judge yourself. It took you decades to build the unhealthy habits, you’re not going to ditch those overnight. You’re not going to learn new habits overnight either. It takes practice and that’s ok. Forgive yourself and get right back on the saddle.  

Making new habits isn’t an easy feat but it is doable. However, you can make it easier by surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals that can provide you some accountability. The right support system can make all the difference in your life and business. Why do this alone if you don’t need to?