SELF-DISCIPLINE:  Correction or regulation of oneself for the sake of improvement

Self-discipline … Discipline … Are these words we normally like to hear?  Do these words bring up happy, good thoughts?  If they don’t, I believe you might not have been experiencing what these words really mean and what they can do for us now and in the long run. 

Let’s face it, no one really LOVES to be disciplined right?  We don’t like to be grounded or have things taken away or be put in time out.  We, even as adults, don’t like to be disciplined by our bosses or spouses.  The thing is, however, that most of the time we are disciplined it is because we have not taken it upon ourselves to be self-disciplined and need correction.

How do we become more self-disciplined?  There are many tools and suggestions that can help you become more self-disciplined.  I would like to introduce you to just a few. 

Schedule:  Keeping a schedule or calendar of items that need to be done can help keep you disciplined.  When creating these schedules, make sure to put in even the little tasks that you should be doing. 

            For example your schedule may include items such as:

  • Wake up time
  • quiet / prayer time
  • Making bed
  • Taking care of pets
  • School
  • Homework
  • Cleaning bedroom
  • Taking out trash
  • Helping with laundry
  • Church
  • Martial Art classes and practice
  • Other sports or group meetings
  • etc.

Begin by making a list of everything you need to accomplish, prioritize items with times they can be done, and make your final schedule.  Post it where you will see it throughout the day and mark off  items as you go.

Routine:  You can benefit from doing daily activities at the same time every day.  This routine will become so common that you don’t have to even think about doing it, because they are just what you always do.

Accountability Partners:  Talk to family and friends.  Let them know you want to become more self-disciplined and ask if they can help remind you, until you get in the habit yourself, to set those routines and make the schedule and follow them.

Once you begin to be more self-disciplined, you will find that you are able to accomplish and do so in a much more timely manner.  Others around you will look very highly on this character trait as you become more and more self-disciplined.

MORE TO THINK ABOUT: 

“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”  Hebrews 12:11