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Self-Discipline Category Archive

Achieving Goals by Improving Your Character

Wednesday, January 10th, 2007

Often a change in character is a crucial part of shifting your identity to become more congruent with your goals and intentions.  For example, suppose you want to become more successful in your career, and you set a goal to reach a certain position.  Maybe the main reason you haven’t yet reached that position is that your [...]

Showing Up

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006

I’m sure you’ve heard the Woody Allen quote that 80% of success is showing up.  While merely showing up — to work, to an audition, to a date, etc. — won’t guarantee success, it’s certainly a prerequisite.
A few months ago I began training in kempo, a martial arts style that could be described as a [...]

Triage

Thursday, December 21st, 2006

In battlefield medicine the principle of triage involves dividing patients into three groups:  1) those who will die anyway whether they receive medical attention or not, 2) those who will survive anyway whether they receive medical attention or not, and 3) those who will survive only if they receive timely medical attention.
Despite its morbid nature, triage [...]

What Are the Odds of Becoming a Black Belt?

Monday, December 18th, 2006

People often ask me to help them assess what their odds of success will be in some new endeavor:  What are my odds of succeeding as a full-time blogger?  What are my odds of succeeding as an indie game developer?  What are my odds of succeeding as an entrepreneur?
On the surface it seems intelligent to assess your risks before embarking [...]

Overcoming News Addiction

Tuesday, September 26th, 2006

A little over 30 days ago, I decided to go on a news fast, using my trusty 30-day trial method.  I had already dropped TV news and newspapers, but I still had the habit of checking Yahoo News or CNN every day or two, so for 30 days I decided to drop all news sources and go totally news-free.  In [...]

Ask Steve - Recommended Reading

Monday, July 17th, 2006

Could you recommend some of your all-time favorite books?
Sure.
Since the early 90s I’ve been reading about a book a week, so that adds up to quite a few books.  I’ll scan my office bookshelves to recall which ones had a meaningful impact on me after I read them.
Here are some of my personal favorites in no [...]

Disciplining Your Mind to Become Better at Manifesting

Wednesday, June 28th, 2006

A key to the intention-manifestation model is that you must keep your thoughts focused on what you want and avoid thinking about what you don’t want.  Even if you’re skeptical about the power of intention, it shouldn’t be hard to see that a disciplined mind brings benefits.  Improved mental discipline is sure to be a useful skill [...]

Giving Up TV

Tuesday, June 20th, 2006

It’s been over a year since I wrote about reducing TV viewing, and since then several readers have told me about their experiences giving up television completely.  Some claimed not to have watched any TV in years.  Reported benefits included better mental clarity, (desired) weight loss, exploring new hobbies, better relationships, more energy, higher productivity, greater [...]

How to Get Up Right Away When Your Alarm Goes Off

Tuesday, April 25th, 2006

When your alarm wakes you up in the morning, is it hard for you to get up right away?  Do you find yourself hitting the snooze button and going right back to sleep?
That used to be part of my daily awakening ritual too.  When my alarm would blare its infernal noise, I’d turn the damned thing [...]

Progressive Training

Saturday, March 25th, 2006

A great idea I learned from weight training is the concept of progressive training.  Progressive training means that you keep gradually increasing the weights you lift (over a period of weeks, months, and years), so you always experience a high degree of challenge in your training.  In broader terms progressive training means changing various aspects of your training [...]



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