No matter what, we will face easy times, and we will have difficult times.

Here is a question to consider.

How much do I want of each easy times versus difficult times?

Then we have to make a choice.

Would we rather have it easy on the front end or the back end?

Typically, when we choose the easy route on the front end, we end up with a larger quantity of difficult times.

If we choose the difficult path on the front end, our lives become easier and we experience more easy times as a result of taking it on the chin in the beginning.

We can look at this in many areas of life.

Exercise is difficult.

However, by exercising, we improve our health and consequently, our lives are easier.

There is one attribute that one must possess that makes choosing the difficult path a reality.

One must possess self-discipline.

Self-discipline is the attribute that separates high achievers from those that chose mediocrity.

Here are my top three ways to develop discipline now.

Take One Step Forward

The first step is to take the first step.

Many times, we fail in life because of inaction.

When we fail to act, we get stuck in our heads.

Fear creeps into our minds, and we begin to play the what-if game.

What if this person says no?

What if I get a hangnail on my pinkie toe?

What if I fail?

What if I succeed?

However, when we take the first step, we move forward.

We may run into obstacles.

We may even fail.

But we learn by doing.

We build up resilience and confidence in ourselves.

We experience the pain of defeat, which fades and then we realize it wasn’t that bad.

Then we try again, and we get a little bit better.

We move from being terrible to being bad to being ok to being average to being good to being excellent.

We can’t become excellent at anything until we go through the mire of being terrible.

And we can’t be terrible unless we take the first step.

Think Long Term

Long term could be looking at tomorrow, or it could be visioning what life will be like in three or twenty-five years from now.

Sometimes making it past today is enough.

I remember when I was unemployed and struggling to make ends meet.

I took some time to visualize a better day where the money wouldn’t be a struggle.

Before I lost my job, I was making $43,000 a year.

Then I was making nothing.

My first thought was I just want to get to the point where I can make ends meet, and I’m not bleeding money.

Thinking about being independently wealthy at that point in my life would have been counterproductive.

I needed to conquer and fulfill my basic necessities.

I needed to push beyond daily frustration.

When I had disappointing days where I faced constant rejection, I needed to know that tomorrow I might get a yes.

That simple thought of thinking of a better day tomorrow helped me take the actions that led to success.

Remove Temptations

We all have our guilty pleasures.

It may be a handful of chocolates or a bucket full of chocolate chip cookies.

If we continuously see our guilty pleasures, then we are more likely to give in to them.

If I place a box of a dozen doughnuts on my desk at the beginning of the day, the box will be empty at the end of the day.

And I will have consumed 2,000 extra empty calories.

So, if I want to save myself from myself, then I need to keep those temptations at bay.

I need to place myself in an environment where I am not reminded daily of how gooey, sweet and scrumptious those doughnuts will be.

Instead, I want to surround myself with a better choice.

Maybe I have carrots to munch on as a snack.

The key is for me to control my environment.

Conclusion

It takes discipline to achieve the success we desire.

We have to be willing to endure some difficult times upfront so we can experience the reward that comes from becoming better.

Discipline refines us.

Discipline knocks off the rough edges.

Discipline enables us to pay the price for greatness.

Success at first may seem like the reward.

However, success is not what we achieve.  Success is what we become.

Are you interested in growing your profits by 20% in the next 12 months?

If you’re looking to grow your business profits and having more cash in the bank, send me an email at damon@idealmoneylife.com with “PROFIT” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!

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