1. This week I'll be blogging a series on self-discipline. New pos
appear every day Mon-Fri. I've also added a new self-disc
2. I've already written about 20 pages on self-discipline for my
including what it is and how to develop it. I'll share some of
series, focusing on what I call the five pillars of self-d
4. The five pillars of self-discipline are: Acceptance, Willp
Work, Industry, and Persistence. If you take the first letter of
the acronym "A WHIP" - a convenient way to remember th
people associate self-discipline with whipping themselv
5. Each day of the series, I'll explore one of these pillars, exp
important and how to develop it. But first a general o
8. Imagine what you could accomplish if you could simply get
through on your best intentions no matter what. Picture you
body, "You're overweight. Lose 20 pounds." Without self
intention won't become manifest. But with sufficient self-dis
deal. The pinnacle of self-discipline is when you reach the po
make a conscious decision, it's virtually guaranteed you'll fol
9. Self-discipline is one of many personal development tools av
course it is not a panacea. Nevertheless, the problems which
solve are important, and while there are other ways to
problems, self-discipline absolutely shreds them. Self-discip
you to overcome any addiction or lose any amount of weigh
procrastination, disorder, and ignorance. Within the domain
solve, self-discipline is simply unmatched. Moreover, it bec
teammate when combined with other tools like passion, g
planning.
11. My philosophy of how to build self-discipline is best explain
Self-discipline is like a muscle. The more you train it, the stro
The less you train it, the weaker you becom
12. Just as everyone has different muscular strength, we all poss
of self-discipline. Everyone has some - if you can hold you
seconds, you have some self-discipline. But not everyone ha
discipline to the same degree.
13. Just as it takes muscle to build muscle, it takes self-discipli
discipline.
14. The way to build self-discipline is analogous to using progress
to build muscle. This means lifting weights that are close to
that when you weight train, you lift weights that are within
You push your muscles until they fail, and then yo
15. Similarly, the basic method to build self-discipline is to tack
you can successfully accomplish but which are near your li
mean trying something and failing at it every day, nor does
within your comfort zone. You will gain no strength trying to
you cannot budge, nor will you gain strength lifting weights th
you. You must start with weights/challenges that are within y
to lift but which are near your limit.
16. Progressive training means that once you succeed, you increa
you keep working out with the same weights, you won't g
Similarly, if you fail to challenge yourself in life, you won't ga
discipline.
17. Just as most people have very weak muscles compared to
could become with training, most people are very weak in t
discipline.
18. It's a mistake to try to push yourself too hard when tryin
discipline. If you try to transform your entire life overnight b
new goals for yourself and expecting yourself to follow thro
starting the very next day, you're almost certain to fail. Thi
going to the gym for the first time ever and packing 300 pou
press. You will only look silly.
19. If you can only lift 10 lbs, you can only lift 10 lbs. There's no
where you are. I recall when I began working with a person
years ago, on my first attempt at doing a barbell shoulder pre
a 7-lb bar with no weight on it. My shoulders were very weak
trained them. But within a few months I was up to
20. Similarly, if you're very undisciplined right now, you can sti
discipline you have to build more. The more disciplined you b
life gets. Challenges that were once impossible for you will ev
child's play. As you get stronger, the same weights will seem
21. Don't compare yourself to other people. It won't help. You'll
expect to find. If you think you're weak, everyone else will se
think you're strong, everyone else will seem weaker. There's
this. Simply look at where you are now, and aim to get be
forward.
23. Suppose you want to develop the ability to do 8 solid hours
since you know it will make a real difference in your career. I
audio program this morning that quoted a study saying th
worker spends 37% of their time in idle socializing, not to m
that chew up more than 50% of work time with unproduct
there's plenty of room for improvement.
24. Perhaps you try to work a solid 8-hour day without su
distractions, and you can only do it once. The next day you
OK. You did one rep of 8 hours. Two is too much for you. So c
duration would allow you to successfully do 5 reps (i.e. a wh
you work with concentration for one hour a day, five days in
do that, cut back to 30 minutes or whatever you can do. If y
you feel that would be too easy), then increase the chal
resistance).
25. Once you've mastered a week at one level, take it up a notc
And continue with this progressive training until you've rea
26. While analogies like this are never perfect, I've gotten a lot
this one. By raising the bar just a little each week, you st
capabilities and grow stronger over time. But when doing w
actual work you do doesn't mean anything. There's no intrins
a weight up and down - the benefit comes from the mu
However, when building self-discipline, you also get the be
you've done along the way, so that's even better. It's great w
produces something of value AND makes you str
27. Throughout this week we'll dive more deeply into the five
discipline. If you have any questions on the subject of self-
specific or general) that you'd like to see addressed, feel fre
comments, and I do my best to incorporate them alon
28. This post is part one of a six-part series on self-discipline: par
| part 4 | part 5 | part 6