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Becoming a Disciplined Person

Self-discipline is a pattern of behavior where you choose to do what you know you should do, rather than
what you want to do. Its the inner power that pushes you to get out of bed to exercise rather than
sleeping in. It is the assertion of willpower over more basic desires and is synonymous with self-control.
It includes having the personal initiative to get started and the stamina to persevere. Being disciplined
gives you the strength to withstand hardships and difficulties, whether physical, emotional or mental. It
allows forgoing immediate satisfaction, in order to gain something better, but which requires effort and
time.
Discipline is one of the cornerstones to living a successful and fulfilling life and something we should all
strive to master.
Benefits of becoming a disciplined person
When you are consistent in doing the things you know you should do, when you know you should do
them, here are the benefits you will enjoy:
You will achieve your goals. When you are consistent in doing the things you know you should do,
your odds of achieving your goals will be dramatically increased.
You self-esteem will soar. Every time you push yourself to do something you know you should do, you
are building your self-esteem.
Peoples respect for you will grow. This includes everyone from your spouse to your employer who
witnesses your efforts.
You will influence the lives of others. Every good and right thing you do, influences the lives of those
who are watching and can have a ripple effect on future generations.
You will see greater success in all areas of your life. Jim Rohn said, For every disciplined effort there
is a multiple return. Think about it.
You will enjoy a more rewarding and satisfying life.
Downside of lacking discipline
When you consistently neglect to do the things you know you should do, when they should be done,
heres the downside:
You wont achieve your goals. Ive never met anyone who achieved any worthwhile goal who lacked
discipline.
You wont feel good about yourself. No matter how hard you try to justify your actions, you know
whats right and wrong. Lying to yourself only makes it worse.
Youll lose the respect of those who are dependent upon your actions.
Making the decision to become a disciplined person may prove to be one of the most important decisions
you make because of its powerful influence on every part of your life.
A commitment to discipline
The first step in becoming a disciplined person is to make a commitment to yourself that from this day
forward you are going to do the things you know you should do, when you should do them. As part of
this commitment, you cannot allow yourself to make excuses or justify not doing what you should do.
If you struggle with discipline, start small. Its how we all got started. Start by taking out the overflowing
garbage, answering an email, changing the light bulb, or cleaning your bathroom. Start today doing all
the little things you know you should do, but dont feel like doing.


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When you need to do things that make you uncomfortable, remember the wise words of leadership expert
Dr. John Maxwell who said, If were growing, were always going to be out of our comfort zone.
When things come up that are scary, heed the experience of Dale Carnegie who said, Do the thing you
fear to do and keep on doing it that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.
Becoming a discipline person will likely be the hardest thing you do, but it can also become the most
rewarding. All successes in every part of your life are built on the foundation of discipline.
I want to challenge you to start doing the little things you know you should do. As you do, recognize
yourself for each thing you do. With constant awareness and sustained effort you can actually train
yourself to become disciplined.
This is not the first time I have blogged on the importance of discipline, and it wont be the last. Of the
over 1000 little things on my list, nothing has a higher dollar value to the market than discipline.
Discipline is one of the key differentiators separating those who live successful and fulfilling lives
from those who dont.
About the Author: Todd Smith is a successful entrepreneur of 30 years and founder of Little Things
Matter. To receive Todds lessons, subscribe here. All Todds lessons are also available on iTunes
asdownloadable podcasts. (Todds podcasts are ranked #25 in Americas top 100 podcasts and #1 in the
personal and development field.)

11 Ways to Increase Your Discipline

While having lunch with a friend last week, he told me how impressed he was with one of the
speakers at a conference he recently attended. Sabriye Tenberkenbecame gradually visually impaired and
eventually completely blind by the age of thirteen.

Ms. Tenberken overcame her handicap and went on to achieve great success. During her speech,
she said, If you are going to be successful, your goal must be bigger than your greatest obstacle. Wow,
how true! Think about it.
My mind immediately went to my lesson about discipline in Your Greatest Obstacle post, as I am
convinced that DISCIPLINE is the greatest obstacle in preventing most people from achieving their
goals. Just think, if you had the discipline to do everything you knew you should do, even when you did
not feel like doing it, would you be more successful in achieving your personal and professional goals?

As I pointed out on the Little Things Matter Facebook fan page this past Sunday, if I were to
assign a dollar value to each of the 643 little things on my list, discipline would carry a higher value than
any other thing. Its the hardest one to do consistently and therefore the marketplace rewards it more than
any other.
In todays lesson I am going to highlight 11 things you can do to increase the intensity and
consistency of the discipline required to achieve your goals.
1. Make a Personal Commitment That You Will Become a Disciplined PersonIf you really want
to achieve your goals, then you must make the commitment that you will become more disciplined.
2. Focus On Your GoalTo help you become more disciplined, review your goals every morning
before you start your day. Pick a quiet place where you can concentrate and visualize. Put yourself in a
state of mind where you have achieved your goal and imagine the feeling you will have. If possible find
pictures or images of your goals to help you better visualize what your life will be like when you have
achieved them.


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3. First Do What You Dont Want To DoAs you plan your day, make sure you block out time to
first do the things that require the most discipline. Whether its prospecting, exercising, or cleaning up
your home, do it first. I have learned over the last 29 years that the best time to do the things I dont want
to do is first thing in the morning. If you will commit to doing the things that are the hardest for you to do
first, not only will you do them with greater consistency, but also you feel great the rest of the day.
4. Get Your RestOne of the keys to employing discipline with consistency is maintaining a high level
of energy. When Im tired, it is VERY hard for me to be disciplined. How about you?
5. Eat RightWhen you eat right, you will feel better and have more energy. Start your day with a
breakfast high in protein and low in simple carbs. For lunch, avoid eating the foods that make you tired so
you can keep your energy high throughout the day.
6. Dont Drink Too MuchI know first hand that if you drink too much alcohol at night, it is very
difficult to have any discipline the next day. Use your discipline to drink in moderation so you can use
your discipline the next day to achieve your goals.
7. Start Doing The Little ThingsOne of the best ways to become more disciplined is by doing the
little things you know you should do like making your bed, keeping your car cleaned, taking the garbage
out and picking up after yourself. As you become more disciplined in doing the little things, you will
become more disciplined in doing the big things.
8. Make The Decision in AdvanceIf you make the decision to exercise every morning at 6:00 AM,
then dont allow yourself to question your decision every morning. If you are going to take on that
important project in the morning, then dont second-guess your decision in the morning. The decision is
made, now follow through with it!
9. Make It A RoutineSet up a routine for doing the things you dont want to do. As an example If you
are in sales, set up a routine to prospect for new business every morning from 9:00-11:00. When you
make things part of your daily routine, its much easier to employ the discipline to get them
accomplished.
10. Consume Energy DrinksI have found drinking coffee and other energy drinks increases my
ability to be more disciplined, especially those double shot iced lattes in the afternoon.
11. Reward YourselfWhen you do the things that require discipline, recognize and reward yourself
when you are done. If you just finished a big project, take yourself out to your favorite restaurant. If you
have been disciplined over an extended period of time, then perhaps a weekend get-a-way would be an
appropriate reward.
Let me challenge you to become aware of the role your personal discipline will play in the achievement
of your goals. Adopt the Do It Now mentality and when there is something you need to do, say to
yourself If I dont feel like doing it, then I must do it now and without further delay ATTACK it with
vengeance and get it done.
As I said in The Hidden Benefit of Discipline when you employ self-discipline, not only will you be
more likely to achieve your goals, but you will also feel great about yourself.
Will you accept my challenge to be more disciplined? Make your commitment public by sharing it in the
comments section below this post.
One of the most important keys to success is having the discipline to do what you know you
should do, even when you dont feel like doing it.


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Follow Your Passion and You Will Never Work a Day
in Your Life

Are you doing what you love?
Are you passionate about what you currently do to earn a living?
You may have heard it before do what you love and the money will follow.
When a person is enjoying what they do, it does not feel like the dreaded 9 to 5, it does not feel like
work.
Now, just to be clear, when I am saying do what you love and the money will follow, Im not
referring to traveling all over the world with the expectation of your trek to somehow pay for your
good time.
You can decide to be a journalist or maybe an airlines pilot and be close.
Follow Your Passion Dont Settle Do What You Love!
Confucius said ~ Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.
I dont believe it has been said any better than this, prior to his death in 479 BC!
Mondays are usually the days that people dread after spending the weekend doing something that they
enjoy. If you are passionate about what you are currently doing, then you will wake up in the morning
looking forward to your day, even if it is a Monday.
It does make sense that if we love what we do, we will do it better, longer and with greater passion.
There are entire books dedicated to this topic about following your passion, and yet there are so many
people still sitting on the sidelines waiting to discover what their true purpose in life is supposed to be.
There have been many that have been fortunate enough to stumble upon their passions early in life
knowing that, what they currently do, is what they were meant for.
On the other hand, there are many people that will spend their entire life working at their dead end job
just to get by, all while questioning themselves whether there is more to life, knowing that there has to
be something better.
Many of you reading this are probably saying to yourself I have to make a living, I have to survive
and pay the bills, I have to provide for my family.
All this is true we all recognize the fundamental need to survive, but many people ignore the thought
that you can do anything that you set your mind to.
There is an amazing book on this subject called The Slight Edge its main premise is about turning
simple everyday decisions and disciplines into massive success.
Simple disciplines repeated over time will create success, while simple mistakes created over time will
create failure. ~ Jeff Olson The Slight Edge
You know you can have both, right? You can make a living doing what you love and are passionate
about its just a matter of taking that first step.
I have seen and heard of many stories to where a person is not happy in their job, so the person takes
that first, sometimes scary, step towards their passion and next thing you know it, the person is living
the life of their dreams.


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Whether its 1 or 2 years later, or whether its 5 years later, the person is following their dreams and
passions, and leading a fulfilling and enjoyable life.
Many of us have been receiving the message for years now to get a good education so we can find a
good paying job. This is great as long as the education you choose will lead you to the job you desire
and are passionate about.
For many of you that dont have the higher education and have lost touch with your core desires, you
will need to take stock to find out what your true passion is.
If you have the strong desire to live financially free and make a living on your own terms, but are
unsure of exactly what lights your fire, then it might be a good time for a bit of self-discovery.
Time to Discover YOUR TRUE Passion!
Are you ready to discover what you were meant to do, to find out what your true passion is?
Before we get going, lets start by finding a place that will allow you to concentrate, a place that is
peaceful and serene. I would also suggest you have a pen and pad of paper at the ready.
Now that you are in your place of comfort and serenity enabling you to concentrate, lets begin with
your talents.
Write down Talents Im Good At!
Next, write down everything that you feel you are inherently good at. Dont limit this to your play time,
think of everything to include work, and at home.
These can be things that come naturally to you, things that you dont have to work too hard to
accomplish, things that others have told you that you are good at.
Next, add to your list any skills that you have developed either for work or for your personal life.
Last, but not least, write down anything that you are interested in learning about or may want to pursue.
When you were a child, did you dream about being a policeman, or a firefighter? If you can recall what
you thought about, write down what you wanted to be when you grew up.
Now with your list of each item that you wrote down that you are good at, inherently talented in, or
skilled at, ask yourself the following questions and write down your answers:
DOING THIS gets me excited so much that I can talk about it all day long?
DOING THIS makes me excited to get up in the morning?
DOING THIS I would be willing to do it for FREE?
DOING THIS can make me lose all sense of time?
DOING THIS gives me extra energy?
DOING THIS makes me smile?
Answer them in this manner, replacing the word DOING THIS
Question #1 Watching the progression of my friend losing weight gets me excited so much that I
can talk about it all day long.
Question #2 Working at the hospital makes me excited to get up in the morning.
Question #3 Designing websites is so much fun I would be willing to do it for FREE.
Question #4 Working with animals can make me lose all sense of time.
You get the idea for the remainder of questions hopefully your subject will be the same in front of
each question.


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Spend a good amount of time reflecting on your list and these questions. You can even meditate about
it.
Once you have discovered what really puts a smile on your face and makes you lose all track of time,
the next step will be to brainstorm for ways that you can move towards your desire, passion and
purpose.
Follow Your Passion to the Future
In this next step, imagine your future 5 to 10 years from now. Write down on your pad of paper, in as
much detail as possible, what this future looks like using the following questions.
What does your typical day look like?
Where do you live and what does your house look like?
Who are you keeping company with, who are your friends?
How much money do you have in the bank?
How much are you giving back to the community? (could be your time or your money)
Hopefully you can see your vision clearly.
Once you have this information documented, re-read your note; does it feel right to you?
If it does feel like this is your destiny, then you have the vision of what is in store for you.
Now its time to begin planning your path to the life you desire, to make a living following your
passion and never again working a day in your life. It is definitely not too late to pursue your dream,
even if it means going back to college at the age of 50.
Related Article: Your Ultimate Source Of Motivation Start with Your Why Is Your Why Big
Enough?
Are You Following Your Passion? Was Discovering Your Calling Easy to Figure Out? What Does
Your Destiny Hold? Please Leave Your Comment Below!

Your Ultimate Source Of Motivation Start with Your Why
Is Your Why Big Enough?

Do you feel like you are running in circles, wondering why your business is not taking off or producing
results?
In order to build a successful Internet business, or do anything else for that matter, you must have a
strong reason WHY (you are doing it), you must have an unstoppable dream!
A Why is a way of showing the reason that you are doing what your are doing. It can be, I want to get
my wife home from her job, I want to be a stay at home dad to be there every step of my childrens
precious moments of growing up.
There are many reasons WHY you do what you do. Make it your own and make it strong enough to
drive you to accomplish your dream.
Carl Sandburg said, Nothing happens without first a dream.
Reasons to Know Your Why


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Have you ever noticed that the majority of home-based businesses, after enrolling with them, will ask
you in your first meeting to list everybody you know, and to also write down your WHY?
You can know exactly what you are doing with your business, know every step you need to take to
succeed, but knowing your Why is much more important than any of that.
Your Why is your ultimate source of motivation it will help keep you moving even when business is
looking bleak or youve hit a wall. The motivation will come from knowing WHY you are doing what
you are doing.
Establish Your WHY A Strong Benefit for Your Business
Establishing your WHY will give you reasons to continue on when you are struggling. Your Why will
help you on those days when you dont feel like getting out of bed.
Having your Why be STRONG as OAK, will give you an unlimited amount of motivation to provide
the how to move out of your comfort zone and take massive action its what will drive you to
success.
Your Why will make you get up early in the morning, stay longer at the office, make one more phone
call to a potential prospect, etc. It is a strong motivator for stopping the wheel spin and getting things
accomplished.
Your Why Can Be Your Dream It Can Be Your Ambition to Strive for Excellence
When you have a dream and have your WHY written down, plus have an established, strong mental
image in your mind to Why You ARE Doing This, it will create a burning desire to achieve
greatness, produce something better for your future.
Some people will allow their dreams to fade away to nothing, but those people who really succeed in
business, and in life, are those that have established an unbreakable bond with their WHY until their
dream becomes reality.
Your dream doesnt have to be something that is overwhelming or massive. It doesnt have to be
something that will change the lives of millions of people or leave a dent in history.
Dont get me wrong, its a good thing to think big, but make sure your dream gives you the burning
desire to inspire you take action.
Your dream will be the greatest force in life it will provide more leverage for taking action than
anything else a person can fathom.
A Short Exercise to Discover Your WHY
Below you will find a short exercise to discover your burning desire, what you really want your
WHY!
This exercise will help you discover what it is you really want out of life; why you are here and your
real source of motivation to get it done.
Write Down the Following Questions then Ask Yourself WHY:
Question #1 What do you want? Why do you want it?
This can be that new sports car that passed you on the highway, it can be the desire to move into an
nicer house, quit your job anything you envision on the surface level.
Question #2 What will this GIVE YOU that you dont currently have now?


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Write down the first thing that comes to mind the thrill and feel of a fast car, more time with your
family, financial freedom, etc.
Ask again except this time ask the same question while you sit in silence, in deep thought
meditation!
What will this GIVE ME that I dont currently have now?
Ask again
What will this GIVE ME that I dont currently have now?
Keep asking the same question until you go deep down into your subconscious mind. Embrace the
silence, then ask yourself again and the answers will eventually appear from your subconscious mind.
When you reach this point, you will know the answer you seek Your Why!
This is the POWER of the REAL WHY!
Closing Comments About Your Dreams Your WHY
When you do this exercise, you will come up with your ULTIMATE WHY. This WHY will be used to
fuel your passion, your ambition, your motivation to take massive action with whatever you are
attempting to accomplish.
With this, you will create amazing results and the life you want and desire.
Related Article to help keep you focused and on track Shiny Object Syndrome 9 Tips to HELP
Dig You Out of the Abyss Thats Keeping You from Success!
Another Article to Enjoy: Proven Habit of the Wealthy 6 Sensible Benefits of Early to Bed Early
to Rise The Power of Early AM
What is Your Motivation? What Drives YOU? What Advice Can You Give to a Person to Help
Establish Their WHY? Please Share Comments Below for Others to Read!

Just Do It: 11 Proven Ways to Increase
Your Willpower and Self-Discipline
Destiny is not a matter of chance. Its a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing
to be achieved.~William Jennings Bryant - Reading time: 6-8 minutes
Its early in the morning. Your alarm goes off. Beep, beep, beep. You open your eyes, feeling groggy and
disoriented. Still half-asleep, you try to figure out whats going on. Then you remember. Last night,
feeling particularly inspired, you decided youd get up early and go for a run before heading to work.
Ahhhh shit.Your bed feels so warm, so comfy, like a little cocoon. You close your eyes again. You know
you have to make a decision. You can take the easy way out, hit snooze and go back to sleep Or take
the highest road, put on your running shoes, and head out the door.

The choice is yours and only yours What will it be?


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***
Every single day, were faced with countless little decisions like this one. In these moments, we have to
decide between whats good for us and whats easy, comfortable, safe. Individually, most of these
decisions are fairly inconsequential. But together, they add up. They compound. And its the sum of all
these micro-decisions that determines our destiny.
Consistently take the higher road and youll achieve your biggest goals, reach greatness, and maybe even
change the world.
Take the easy way out too often and youll live a life of mediocrity, constantly disappointing yourself
Until one day, you look back in regret, wondering What if?
***
Imagine for a second that there was a switch in your brain that would allow you to efficiently smash
through your daily to-do list, eat only foods that are good for you, and never skip a workout again.
How would your life be different then?
You, my friend, have the power to develop that switch.
As Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, author of the book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human
Strength tells us, willpower is not a personality trait, a skill or a virtue. Instead, it operates like a
muscle. And as such, it can be strengthened.
How?
By implementing the strategies Im about to share with you. Use them consistently, and you will acquire
superhuman willpower, extraordinary self-discipline, and the ability to get anything done on command.
***
Right here, right now, as youre reading this, youre at a crossroads in your life.
You can stick to your old habits and patterns, knowing deep down youre not living nearly at the level
youre capable of
Or you can use this article as a springboard towards greatness by implementing the strategies it contains.
Today could be the day you start developing superhuman willpower and discipline.
The choice is yours and only yours What will it be?
***
1. Meditate like a Zen Buddhist Monk


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Kelly McGonigal Ph.D, who teaches a class on The Science of Willpower at Stanford University, ranks
meditation as the #1 way to increase willpower.
She says, Practicing mindfulness meditation for a few minutes each day can actually boost willpower by
building up gray matter in areas of the brain that regulate emotions and govern decision making.
Ive personally been meditating every day for the past 2 years, and its the single-best habit Ive
developed since I got into personal development and optimal living.
To find out more about how you can get started with meditation, enter your email below to receive a free
copy of my eBook The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Meditation.

You can also check out The Brain Evolution system, which is the meditation audio system I personally
use every morning.

2. Take the Magic Pill of Exercise
The more I research the benefits of exercise, the more I see it as a magic pill.
Not only does it increase our fitness and mental performance, improve our mood and sleep quality,
reduce our body fat percentage, anxiety levels and likelihood of becoming sick Its also been shown to
improve our willpower.
In a 2006 study by Oaten and Cheng, participants were given free gym memberships and personalized
training programs. The study participants who regularly exercised reported:
Signicant decreases in perceived stress, emotional distress, smoking, alcohol and caffeine
consumption, and an increase in healthy eating, emotional control, maintenance of household chores,
attendance to commitments, monitoring of spending and an improvement in study habits.
Even 5 minutes a day will make a difference but I recommend shooting for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a
week.
Find something you love (ie, if you hate running on a treadmill, DONT do that), have fun doing it, and
work on making it a regular part of your life.
If you dont like exercising, its not because youre not made for it. Its because you havent found the
type of exercise thats right for you.
Keep looking. Its worth it.
#3 Harness the Power of Accountability
Admittedly, accountability isnt the sexiest word in the English language. But the concept it represents is
extremely powerful.
The idea behind it is that when were left to our own devices, its easy to come up with excuses not to do
something.
Im tired, I dont feel like it, its too much work, its too hard.


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Blah blah blah.
Lets be real. 99% of it is just excuses our small self makes to stay comfortable and avoid stepping into
greatness.
The solution is simple: build structures in your life that will hold you to a higher standard and that will
prevent you from coming up with excuses.
There are several ways to do this. Here are a few to consider:
Get an accountabilibuddy, a workout partner, work side-by-side with a coworker (or friend), hire a coach,
join (or create) a mastermind group, or use the website Stickk.
Whatever specific system you use, the most important thing is that it takes away your ability to
procrastinate and make excuses, and that it makes you stick to your plan and highest values.
#4 Set SMART Goals
When someone emails me asking how they could have more discipline and willpower, my first question
to them is always, do you have clear goals for yourself?
90+% of the time, the answer is no. Oops.
Why is it so important to have defined goals?
Because they give you a clear direction in life and help you connect your daily actions to a greater
purpose.
When I was at The Bold Academy, I asked Ryan Ellis, a 28-year old entrepreneur who sold his first
company for $169 million what his number one advice for young ambitious people was.
He said, clearly define your goals, print them out, and put them up on your bedroom wall.
Simple enough.
When you create your goals, make sure they are SMART:
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely

For instance, dont set a goal of I want to lose weight or I want to make more money.
Instead, it should look more like I want to lose 10 lbs of body fat by March 1
st
or I want to increase my
monthly income by $5000 by June 10.
Once you do that, taking action and staying disciplined every day will be infinitely easier. Youll be
pulled towards the achievement of your goals, and youll feel a great sense of purpose and fulfilment.
#5 Unleash Your Inner Conquistador and Burn the Ships
In 1519, a Spanish conquistador named Hernan Cortez made a bold-as-hell, history-changing decision we
can all learn from.


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He sailed from Spain to South America with a fleet of 11 ships, and upon arriving to the new land,
realized that his troops would have to fight the natives in order to claim the land.
His men were tired, malnourished and out of shape from the long journey across the Atlantic. Many of
them didnt want to fight.
Cortez knew they had to do this. He ordered everyone to go on the beach, and once he was the only one
left on the ships, he proceeded to burn them all (!).
Now his men had no option to retreat. So they gathered up all their strength and courage, fought, and
claimed the land that is now known as Mexico.
Pretty damn bold, right?
Now, how does this apply to you?
If you have a big project to complete, and youre struggling to discipline yourself, burn your ships.
Engineer a situation that will prevent you from retreating and that will force you to get into action mode.
For instance, before I created The Superhuman Blueprint, I sent out an email on September 1
st
telling
more than 2000 people that the course was going to start on October 8
th
.
At that point, I had yet to build any of the content or marketing material.
But now I had burned the ships. I had no choice but to get it done. And I did.
Moving forward, Ive decided to use this strategy for all my major projects, and I highly suggest you do
the same. Its astonishing what we can do when we take away our escape route.
#6 Remove Temptations and Distractions
All humans are subject to temptationits just in our nature.
And in todays world were surrounded by more temptations than ever.
Google gives us access to all the information in the world within a few seconds. YouTube is filled with
funny, entertaining, and interesting videos. Our Facebook newsfeed gets updated every few seconds. Our
smart phones are full of apps and other cool things.
Knowing this, its imperative to figure out a system to bulletproof ourselves against all these distractions.
How?
First, identify what are your common distractions are.
Second, build a structure to mitigate them.


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Here are a few of the particular strategies I use:
-Using Freedom, a web-app that allows me to block out my internet for a set period of time.
-Using Stayfocusd, a Chrome web-app that allows me to block out chosen websites for certain parts of
the day (Thanks to Max Nachamkin from Inner Gladiator for the tip)
-Putting my phone on Airplane mode while working.
-Keeping only healthy foods in my fridge/cupboards.
Once the temptations are removed, you can direct all your willpower to doing great things instead of
fighting the urge to procrastinate yet again.
#7 Eat the Big Ugly Frog First
Another discovery Roy F. Baumeister PhD made during his research is that we only have a finite amount
of willpower each day.
Our willpower is at its highest at the beginning of the day, and progressively decreases as we go about
our business.
Knowing this, we want to engineer our day so as to do our most challenging tasks in the morning, when
we are fresh and rested.
In his book The 4-Hour Workweek, Tim Ferriss talks at lengths about Paretos Law (also known as the
80/20 rule) which states that 20% of our input creates 80% of our output.
For more about Paretos Law, click here.
Every morning, get clear on what your 20% is. If youre not sure what that 20% is, its generally the most
uncomfortable/challenging task you have to do all day. Once you figure out what it is, roll up your
sleeves and get it done.
#8 Eliminate Unnecessary Decisions
When asked about his productivity strategies, President Barrack Obama said, I dont want to make
decisions about what Im eating or wearing because I have too many other decisions to make.
As Baumeiseter found, every single decision we make during the day dips into our willpower reserves.
Therefore, we need to cut down the number of decision we make to a minimum, and focus on the most
important ones.
I personally have the same breakfast (superfood smoothie) and lunch (mixed green salad with a chicken
breast and a half-cup of quinoa or beans) every day. I never spend more than 15 seconds deciding what
Im going to wear today. And Im learning to empower my team to take more decisions without seeking
my approval.
As you go through the day, try to pay attention to where you are getting hung up in your decision process.
Try to eliminate or minimize all the unimportant, and preserve your brainpower for what truly matters.


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#9 Create Powerful Habits, Rituals and Routines
Building on the last point, creating rituals is a great way to remove needless decision-making from your
day.
Once something has been turned into a habit, you dont even have to think about it. You do it without
using any of your willpower.
Every morning, I start my day with the same 60-minute power routine to get me in an optimal physical,
emotional and intellectual state.
Each step of the ritual is carefully choreographed for optimal results, yet it requires no willpower on my
part because its engrained in my ritual.
To learn how to craft your optimal morning ritual, enter your email below to receive a free copy of my
eBook How to Supercharge Your Morning.

Look for all the ways you can routinize your life, and youll gain the double benefit of having better
habits while conserving more of your willpower.
#10 Hack Your Mind with the 5-Minute Rule
Our mind can be our greatest ally and our greatest foe.
The trick is to be aware of its inner workings, both its strengths and its weaknesses, and optimize around
them.
One of our minds greatest flaws is that it often struggles to get things started. But once were in flow, its
easy to keep going.
If youre struggling to get started on some work you have to do, or to start your daily meditation/workout,
make the following deal with yourself: youll do it for just 5 minutes.
Answer one email. Run 1 time around your block. Meditate for 5 minutes.
From personal experience and discussing it with others, Ive found that 80 to 90% of the time, once were
in motion, we end up continuing well past the 5-minute mark we had decided on.
This is truly a Jedi Mind Trick we can use on ourselves.
#11 Go for 100% Commitment
Jack Canfield, author of the book Chicken Soup for the Soul famously said 99% is a bitch, 100% is a
breeze.
If you really want to do something, commit to it 100%.
If youre just sorta-committed, therell always be a little voice in your head saying aahh, maybe today
Ill take the day off. Youll waste a lot of willpower fighting off that little voice.


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But the moment have you that 100% commitment, the game becomes easy. You dont have to think about
it you just do it!
Conclusion
One of my teachers once told me, our human spirit is the greatest gift weve been given.
That human spirit is what built magnificent cathedrals, explored far-away lands, and created world-
changing technologies.
That force is inside of you, its inside of me; its inside all of us.
And its your duty to put it to good use. For yourself, for those around you, and for the next generations.
You, my friend, have been bestowed with some unique gifts, talents and passions. You can do things that
no one else in this world can do. Seriously.
And we need you to rise up and shine. To be a beacon of light, love and inspiration for others.
So please take the teachings Ive shared with you today seriously.
They will change your life. And you, in turn, can go out there and change the world.
Choose Greatness,
Phil
Please share this post because thats how more people can develop extraordinary willpower.

How to Discipline Yourself to Do Things

Discipline is one of those traits that is easy to imagine having, but often hard to invoke. It means dragging
yourself away from activities that may be pleasurable -- like watching TV or playing video games -- but
that in the end waste time you might have spent on things you should be doing. Learning how to
discipline yourself to do things often involves bribery -- of yourself. Until you get into the habit of
disciplining yourself to do things you must, try some simple self-motivation tricks.

Step 1
Focus on the desired outcome to settle down to tasks that need doing. Tape a reminder or image of your
task, goal or dream somewhere in your house where you'll see it a number of times each day. Every time
you pass by this reminder, take a moment and envision yourself being, doing or having the object of your
desire; doing this often provides incentive to take steps that manifest your goals.

Step 2
Take control of your urge to ignore the things you need to do by making a list in a notebook that you
keep in sight. The act of writing down what you need to do brings a feeling of accomplishment and adds
a level of excitement to your planning. Flesh out the list with details regarding every facet of your
enterprise; one way to talk yourself out of doing things is being surprised by an unexpected detail.


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Step 3
Set deadline dates. Depending on the complexity, allow a number of hours, days, weeks, months or years
to complete your task. Break down the timeline into smaller increments by noting the number of steps
needed to achieve your goal and allocating a certain amount of time for each.
Step 4
Start working on the first task immediately once your list and timeline are complete. This builds
confidence in your ability to discipline yourself.

Step 5
Give yourself a reward when tasks on your list are accomplished; take yourself out for a meal, or buy an
item associated with your goal. This reward system of self-bribery helps you associate hard work with
pleasure.

Tips
Don't give up if your efforts lapse. Remember this important point: you do have discipline -- you get up
every day, feed yourself and go to work, where you give value to your employer. Translate those efforts
into tasks that you don't have to do, but want to do