7 Simple Ways to Become More Self-Disciplined

Motivation Gets You Going, But Discipline Keeps You Going – John C. Maxwell ​

Have you ever woken up feeling like you're a failure?  There you start something but don't get it finished?  Do you feel that your lack of discipline stops you helping your dog?

​There are times when we set ourselves a training goal and then struggle to do the work to make it to the finish line.  What is it that can help us turn a desire to do something into a habit that causes behavioural change?  This is the role of self-discipline.  Self-discipline is defined as the ability to self-control and push yourself to work hard and not require someone else to tell you what to do.

What does that mean?  It means we can consistently control our feelings and emotions to allow us to be able to control our actions.  When we are self-disciplined, we become successful and motivated.  We activate our willpower and can control our impulses.  This allows us to remain focused on our goals.

There are many benefits to be self-disciplined:

• Decreases Anxiety
• Increases Achievement of Long-Term Goals
• Increases Feelings of Happiness
• Increases Resilience
• Increases Ability to Resist Temptation

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​7 Simple Ways to Improve Your Self-Discipline

When we take time to practice self-discipline we are investing in ourselves and our dogs. We are working towards a better way of living. The way that we deserve all deserve. There is a difference between thinking about being self-disciplined and doing it. And that is it requires working at. Here are some simple steps to get you started:
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1. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO – there are times when we don’t feel motivated. Mel Robbins describes in her book, The 5 Second Rule – feeling depressed and not wanting to get out of bed. She developed this technique to force herself out of bed. This method makes you countdown and then just do it. This can be the difference between being unmotivated to forcing yourself to just do it. Trust me this works! The more you practice this, the easier it becomes. Truly! We begin to shift our negative thoughts and create a self-discipline.

2. Write Your Goals Down & Put Them Where You Can See Them – writing our goals down, makes them real. When we put our goals where we can see them, we create a visual picture for our minds to regularly read. Our words will inspire us towards our goals. Our goal becomes an affirmation as we read our words. Create reminders on your phone. Write notes in your diary or the kitchen planner. Your words should be positive and encouraging.   Write down quotes from your favourite motivational speaker. Whether your goal is to walk 100 yards without your dog pulling you over or becoming the next Crufts Champion, writing your goals down will help you focus your energy on achieving them.

3. Write Down Why You Started – keeping your goal in sight is helpful but equally is reminding yourself why you started. This is important. As we grow we often forget where we started from. Reminding ourselves, especially when we run into difficulties, keeps us focused on the reason we are putting the effort in. We can use affirmations to keep us focused. 

4. Visualize the Goal – practice seeing yourself succeeding. What does it look like? How does it feel? What is the detail?  The more we can create a clear picture in our minds, the more we can train our brains to focus on achieving our goals.

5. Set Achievable Goals – set small goals, it can be tempting to set our goal too high, especially at the beginning when motivation is high. Setting yourself small measurable goals allows you to achieve them and build your confidence. Be patient and grow your success. Don’t get frustrated. Trust in your progress. Achievement of smaller goals will keep you motivated and this will make your bigger goal achievable too.

6. Prioritize & Plan Progress – simply decide what has to be done and create a plan for doing it. As you complete a task, tick it off your list. You will be less likely to put things off if you keep a track of your progress.

7. Get Support – there will be times when you feel unmotivated to achieve your goal. If you know what your weaknesses are you can enlist the support of friends/family or a coach to keep you motivated and focused on your end goal. These people can also hold you accountable, become your cheerleaders and give you that extra push when things get tough 
 
When we commit to training our dogs we are investing in our relationship with them. It requires self-discipline from us to make their lives happier. We can always find something to improve and with time, effort, and a consistent approach we can achieve anything we set our minds on.
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