“I just don’t have the discipline.”
Yes you do, you just don’t apply it.
Your priorities are skewed… or maybe they aren’t.
When I started coaching full time, I used to separate the people who struggled into two main camps.
- The ones that claimed to have no discipline
- The ones that I defined as having no discipline
However I am now older (marginally) and wiser (massively)
We all have discipline, it’s just a question of how we apply it.
When you go into work for a certain time, to complete a sequence of tasks, and commit yourself to applying your attention and effort – That’s discipline.
If you have a hobby that you are good at….
- Piano
- Video games
- Football
- Tinder(!)
To get good at something, you have to assign the discipline of practice.
You have assigned a value to that task and as a high priority it receives more effort and resultant discipline.
Now there are varying reasons for this but I would hazard a guess that working towards a pay cheque at the end of every month is very high on most peoples’ priorities.
Money was high on mine, but working hard to make money for someone who I didn’t view as being worthy of my effort meant that I was loath to assign the required discipline.
That’s a polite way of saying that I thought the people I was working for were morons and refused to work hard to make them look better. And ultimately, I didn’t.
That was my choice, I refused to apply my discipline but I made no excuses to that fact.
However, I see my health and physical fitness as an investment in myself so I assign it a high priority.
As such I am disciplined when it comes to taking care of my physical health.
Now I’m not saying one is any better than the other, most would probably think I’m crazy to assign a higher priority to keeping in shape over the safety of a 9-5 job and resultant pay cheque.
It’s just my choice, but I know I have discipline.
If you don’t choose to assign discipline to your exercise or food choices then that’s fine, but don’t make excuses. See my article on the 3 Es here.
As soon as you take responsibility for your choices you will find it much easier to justify the effort you assign.
There will be a column coming up that delves into the psychology of prioritisation, but for now let’s just touch again on discipline.
Learning to play the piano, completing the level on your video game, making sure you leave an hour free on Saturday to watch X-Factor, committing to finishing that packet of biscuits – it all requires discipline…..
The question isn’t do you have discipline, but more how do you allocate it?
Michael Canas is a highly sought after online coach. He specialises in coaching business leaders, entrepreneurs and busy professionals through complete physical transformations.
Utilising a background in psychology as well as fitness coaching, Michael helps business leaders take charge of their bodies so they can look, feel and perform better both inside the boardroom and outside it.
This article is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of physicians. The reader should regularly consult a physician in matters relating to his/her health and particularly with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
