I firmly believe that most of the time, seemingly complex issues can be resolved by the simplest of solutions. This is why I believe that if you “get” the message that this article is conveying, you can absolutely resolve any self discipline issues in your life, in an instant.
Dinner before dessert.
If you understand this concept, you will never suffer a lack of self discipline in your life anymore. What this boils down to is the concept of reaping the benefits AFTER the work. For example, if you were to eat dessert first, would you be hungry or tempted to eat dinner? Of course not. It’s the same thing in life.
For example, let’s say you want to watch a few hours of TV. If you do it before your work needs to be done, once you are done watching your show, you will not want to do the work. And this is truly where the majority of self discipline issues lie…most people eat their dessert first.
All good things in life should be EARNED. Do you feel like working out if you took your nice hot shower first? Of course not. If you understand this concept, it can transform your entire life. From your diet, to your work, to your relationships.
I have spent most of my adult life researching and analyzing what makes people successful and motivated. I can tell you that there is no “super secret” that only successful people know. On the contrary, success isn’t as sexy as it is portrayed to be in the media (read: Success isn’t Sexy). What differentiates successful people from the rest is that they are willing to do what others aren’t. Such as, waking up early, putting in the long hours, working through your lunch and break, eating healthy, working out even when tired, and so on.
They have their dessert last. And dessert is sweeter and better when you have it last, where it belongs.
The ones that go in seemingly endless circles in their lives give themselves excuses after excuses for not having their dessert last. The equation couldn’t be simpler: condition yourself to earn all benefits, and enjoy them only after you have done something of importance to you.
If you weather through the pain of doing the deed, you will position yourself to be in line to reap the benefits of success in ways you never imagined.
Point to me any successful person and I will show you a person that masters self discipline. That’s the bottom line, the more disciplined you are, the more success you will experience. Remind yourself, every joy in life is sweeter when earned. Start small, and apply it in every area of your life. The beauty with self discipline is that it’s like a muscle. The more you train it, the stronger it gets. The stronger it gets, the more it will start affecting the other areas of your life in a positive way.