25/06/2026
Discipline
We live in a world where instant gratification is demanded, and self-discipline is less and less practised.
Without self-discipline you will find it very hard to shake off the habit of procrastination.
When discipline becomes a habit, it is an essential tool for regulating your life and keeping oneself out of trouble.
With lack of discipline, we find we are reluctant to take responsibility for our life (actions), we do the easy and most short-term rewarding things first, we don’t accept the reality of our situation (life) and we can’t judge the long-term effects of our actions or lack of action – in other words, we “go with the flow”.
“Going with the flow” is easy but when you are going with the flow you are going downhill.
Good discipline means getting out of bed when the alarm goes off, going to work every day and doing the jobs that you dislike most, - first – getting them out of the way and letting yourself enjoy the more pleasant jobs or activities for the rest of the day. This called postponing gratification.
When we accept responsibility for our actions or lack of action and accept the consequences, we are showing discipline and will gain creditability and respect beyond our expectations.
People who hide behind excuses and continually duck out of their responsibilities are never able to gain the respect or love of their colleges.
When you go on a diet or stop smoking it takes discipline to stick with it till you get the results that you want.
The best way to build this discipline is to take small steps one at a time, towards your goal – one step now and practise it for two weeks and then take the next step and so on.
One step at a time is always a great way to anything, especially if it is a difficult task like building a new (good) habit or getting rid of an old bad one.
Discipline is an essential habit to cultivate if you are trying to recover from any addictive disease like alcoholism or drug addiction.
You notice that I called those addictions “disease’s” – I truly believe that they are disease’s because they affect the body and the mind.
Discipline should be practiced in many ways to help combat addiction, like getting up in the morning, getting washed and dressed, making yourself presentable thereby taking a small step to building your self-esteem.
Taking some action each day to fill up your day with useful activities – anything to take your mind off the feelings of depression that goes with addiction is essential.
Blessings from your “New You” coach John Mc
For people who have no addiction, but just can’t find their “get up and go” – in other words suffer from procrastination, discipline is important if they want to succeed in life.
It is necessary to plan your life (set your goals etc) and do at least one action of your plan each day.
Promise yourself to do this every day.