THIS Is How You Build Willpower & Discipline

Everything in life feels difficult when you don't have a sufficient amount of willpower & discipline.

In my opinion, these two skills create the foundation for success in life. They help you make better decisions and inevitably, change your life for the better.

If willpower & discipline are so helpful, then why is it that so many people struggle to implement these skills into their daily lives? Great question.

Inside this blog, I'm going to talk about why these skills feel hard and share my secret to building lasting willpower & discipline.

Success doesn't come to those who sit on the sidelines. If you're ready to get in the game of life, keep reading…

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Willpower is like a muscle.

Just like you go to the gym and train to get more muscle, you need to do the same with willpower & discipline. If you want to build mental strength, you've got to make it a habit of flexing these skills on a daily basis.

A lot of people assume that the development of willpower & discipline requires a lot of strain. Hence, they stay away from it. Anything that feels difficult usually creates unnecessary pain and suffering, right? Well, not exactly. The very thing that you don't want to do is the very thing that you MUST do.

However, improving yourself doesn't have to be a chore. It's all a matter of perspective. Research shows that you want to train your willpower regularly, but still, allow yourself to be relaxed from time-to-time. This is what will give your willpower muscle a chance to restore its energy levels.

At its core, willpower & discipline are all about self-control. The opposite of self-control is laziness. Have you ever met a successful person who is lazy? Highly unlikely. People with high levels of self-control are consistent in their thoughts, behaviors, and actions. They don't dabble. When something gets difficult, instead of throwing in the towel and giving up, they persevere. As a result, they are more likely to achieve the goals that they set for themselves.

So, the question is, “What is the secret to building willpower & discipline?” Every single day you've got to commit to doing something that is uncomfortable. This idea was first put forth by author and researcher, Angela Duckworth. In her book, Grit she talks about the “Hard Thing” rule which she practices with her family. It is designed solely to help her family develop grit (perseverance + passion).

Mastery requires deliberate practice.

Duckworth says that whatever you choose to do, “it has to be something that requires practice, something where you're going to get feedback telling you how you can get better, and you're going to get right back in there and try again and again.”

If you want to succeed in life, you have to be willing to do hard things. What are you doing in your life right now that is really hard? Something that you don't feel like doing, but you do it anyway. You don't grow by doing things that are comfortable. You have to be willing to step outside of your comfort zone and stretch yourself.

The more that you push yourself to do things that suck, the stronger you will become. Keep in mind that stepping outside of your comfort zone on a daily basis doesn't have to be an overwhelming activity. The best approach is to slowly build up your resilience for uncomfortable experiences.

An example of an uncomfortable experience is taking a cold shower every morning.

This is the go-to hard thing that I do every day as part of my morning ritual. At the end of my hot shower, I let the water run cold for 30 seconds. This simple act doesn't feel good when I'm doing it, but over time, this willpower transfers to other aspects of my life. Other examples of things that you may not feel like doing, but that will help you build willpower & discipline include:

Meditating
Waking up @ 5 am
Exercising for 30 minutes every day
Replacing coffee with tea

Your willpower gets stronger the more that you flex it. Start small. As your self-control grows, you can integrate more hard things into your daily life. Over time, you will feel more focused, confident, and in control of your life. In this state of mind, results come naturally because you've conditioned yourself for success.