3 steps to Self-Discipline

Applied Self-Discipline is Attainable with Three Steps

Monday, October 22, 2007

By Rom Antony Day, B.A. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and a Business Administration Minor with a focus in Marketing, 1994, California State University System (CSU’ SFSU), San Francisco, California, U.S.A...

I wrote this article especially for my daughter initially.

Since self-discipline as you might know is key to achieving any goal and objectives which will lead to reaching a goal, would not it be useful if we could put our finger on exactly where to begin to raise our personal self-discipline? It is not too difficult when you look at all of the wealth of information the great Scottish men, Andrew Carnegie, and his right-hand men, Napoleon Hill, left to humanity. The following several paragraphs are an executive summary type of outline about which of key habits we can use to revamp figuratively speaking one's own personal self-discipline.

Three important principles outlined in the philosophy of individual achievement written about by Napoleon Hill as the basis of all self‑acquired discipline are:

1) Definiteness of purpose: A goal to achieve something because of a reason which is important to you and motivates you to achieve it with a target date or a dead-line for its completion.

2) Applied Faith: action to back-up your belief that you can achieve your goal. You know you have in you the knowledge, skills, experience and ability to reach your goal, and you back it up by doing the necessary steps listed as smaller goals also known as objective(s) or guide-posts which help you measure your progress towards meeting the goal.

3) Self‑discipline itself: This plainly stated means doing the things you have to do when you have to do them even if you would prefer to get it done later or skip it for a more pleasant one. For example, Making yourself read a chapter you might have to read even if it seems boring instead of playing computer video games.

The state of mind which can be developed through these three principles or habits can be best and more quickly attained by the application of other principles of this philosophy (Hill's philosophy of success) among them:

1) The master mind: The group which supports you to achieve your goal and encourages you to. You can remove people from this group which you do also have the option of calling "The Home Team" like in baseball; it involves a home-base. Your goals might change or your home team members might change too. Therefore, you will want to replace them with new ones.

2) A pleasing personality. This is a tricky one. Not everyone can be kept happy at the same time. Remember this proverb “What’s Popular is not always right; and what’s right is not always popular.” So somebody may be unhappy about certain decisions because they did not get what they wanted or did not get the full jar of candies figuratively speaking.

3) The habit of going the extra mile: Doing a bit more than paid for but within reason. Taking more school home-work for additional credit, or doing a neater report than necessary.

4) Personal initiative: Doing something which you know already needs to be done without having to be told to do it. Helping the teacher set-up a computer overhead or helping the teacher carry the extra folder so they do not fall out of her hands if she is carrying too many things.

5) Creative vision: Imagine or visualize hitting the volleyball effectively, seeing yourself making the right body moves to save the ball. Another example might be thinking ahead of time about he potential questions on an exam or meeting with an adviser or boss; also work out in your mind the answers to the questions. How you may answer it if it ever came on up on the test or meeting you are preparing for.

Combine these five principles with definiteness of purpose, applied faith, and self‑discipline, and you will have an available source of personal power of stupendous proportions (Master Key to Riches, pp. 198).