| First let's define discipline. I will define it as 1. Choosing to take a desired action despite feeling like doing otherwise and 2. Refraining from taking an undesired action despite feeling like doing otherwise. Having a goal around your actions is somewhat implied here. So what can help us cultivate discipline? Well, each time you practice discipline you are cultivating it. So what can help us practice it? 1. Mindfulness; whether through meditation or other practices, practicing mindfulness can help you gain some distance from your thoughts and feelings and make a more reasoned choice to act towards your goals. 2. Environment; setting things up to make taking action easier (e.g. putting you shoes by your bed if you want to go running), or making things harder to do (throwing out all your junk food, not shopping when hungry) 3. Having compassion for yourself. You will never achieve perfect discipline. Realizing that you will screw up, especially in the beginning, and having compassion for yourself when you do (as you might have towards a friend who is struggling) makes it more likely that you will continue to cultivate discipline. There is a good podcast that covers a lot of this that I think is well worth a listen. Don't let the title of it dissuade you; it is much more than just about depression and procrastination:http://www.myownworstenemy.org/podcast/why-procrastination-m... |