Self-Discipline - success stories?

[Cochonette]

Do you have any success stories with going from very little to a lot of self-discipline in any area of life? If so, please share your story. Especially if you've developed a lot of discipline around very common struggles like general getting things done or eating in moderation. Did anyone have a coach? Therapy? Inspired by books? Or just had an "aha" moment and started down a new path? Maybe it was more gradual? You joined the military? I want to know!

Please don't point me to any Steve articles - I just want to hear stories.

[Lakshyayidhi Lakshmihi]

I quit ecstasy, cocaine, cigarettes, and alcohol on my own. It wasn't about self-discipline though. It was sort of like I was walking around with a blanket over my head on purpose, because I was scared, and for a while that blanket seemed great. But I kept running into things and misjudging distances and avoiding noticing that I was associating with crazy thugs and becoming more crazy and thuggish by the day because....there was a blanket over my head.

One day I decided to take the blanket off. It was hard to adjust to living without the blanket, and that was what made me want to go back to that way of living. I tried a few times but it just wasn't the same. I knew too much by then.

I still miss that blanket sometimes, even though I know I wouldn't like it anymore. It's more like nostalgia for the times when I could still numb myself.

[Tanja]

Last year I did a 30 day trial of getting up at 5 am, I still maintain that schedule (well, not during the weekends).
And I also had to pass some exams after years of not having to sit down every day and go through heaps of papers.
But maybe I wouldn't call it self-discipline (i think I attach a negative association to it), I think of it more like a commitment. If it was something I really wanted, then to me, it was just a matter of my comfort zone/habit.
Two things that helped me the most:
1) observe what thoughts i had just before I wanted to start doing something, they were usually '' i don't feel like it, ill do it later/tomorrow''. So, I'd acknowledge them and start doing it anyway, I tried not to give myself too much time to think about it,in time that self talk changed,
2) just show up! Motivation sometimes doesn't come first, but follows.

If you're talking about everyday small errands you need to attend to, maybe you could do it in a 15min chunks?

[pyrogen]

I am now an early riser, and keep my living space clean. I used to be a slob. I just do a little at a time each day, and that's enough to keep a clean environment. I also used to drop classes all the time, and I don't anymore.

[Cochonette]

Cool. More stories, please! Does anyone feel like they've gone from feeling little general self-discipline to a lot?

[Mr Davidson]

Here goes:

Quit smoking, quit drugs, stopped booze, early riser, healthy eating, daily exercise (30 mins min), reduction in TV watching, journaling, learning to say no, 15 mins to 1 hour of daily focus on myself, getting sunlight, approaching women I liked, learning to control sexual energy, 1-2 hours building my passive income websites and personal business, volunteering and not forgetting, making/finding new friends that are up for adventure experiences (kayaking, climbing random events etc)


My secret on getting it all done though? A clear focus, less thinking and more action! Plus, not beating myself up when not completing something but finding my blocks from those moments and eliminating them. The more you dissolve these blocks the easier it becomes and the faster change happens. Everyone has self-discipline, they just need to let it out imo

Books (several), articles, audio tapes and some youtube videos were my source of inspiration.

My most important inspiration however is my higher self (or future self for some). He knows best, never judges and is my best friend. He rallies me to keep going and to keep growing on a daily basis. I'll never reach him until I die but that just means I have infinite power, time and joy to achieve everything I want in life.

[AlmostGodess]

My biggest self-discipline story so far has been that I stayed sober my hole life. I was never drunk or high. When I was in high school and university this used to be really hard as everyone was going around "Ah, you are not drinking again? Come on, you are so boring! Why do you even come to parties if you don't drink?" The funny thing was that, more my colleagues made fun of me, more I got stubborn that I was not going to drink. I remember coming home from parties crying because I felt so awkward and alone in my soberness. Despite this pressure, I did not have any glass of alcohol until I graduated university. I wanted to prove that it was possible to party without getting drunk and I managed

[Cochonette]

Thanks, everyone!

Originally Posted by Mr Davidson

Here goes:

Quit smoking, quit drugs, stopped booze, early riser, healthy eating, daily exercise (30 mins min), reduction in TV watching, journaling, learning to say no, 15 mins to 1 hour of daily focus on myself, getting sunlight, approaching women I liked, learning to control sexual energy, 1-2 hours building my passive income websites and personal business, volunteering and not forgetting, making/finding new friends that are up for adventure experiences (kayaking, climbing random events etc)


My secret on getting it all done though? A clear focus, less thinking and more action! Plus, not beating myself up when not completing something but finding my blocks from those moments and eliminating them. The more you dissolve these blocks the easier it becomes and the faster change happens. Everyone has self-discipline, they just need to let it out imo

Books (several), articles, audio tapes and some youtube videos were my source of inspiration.

My most important inspiration however is my higher self (or future self for some). He knows best, never judges and is my best friend. He rallies me to keep going and to keep growing on a daily basis. I'll never reach him until I die but that just means I have infinite power, time and joy to achieve everything I want in life.

That was a bloody awesome post, dude. Right on the money.

[JLK]

My greatest self-discipline? I have none. I say what I mean but I don't mean what I say. It takes a lot of self-discipline to live the way I do!

Originally Posted by AlmostGodess

I remember coming home from parties crying because I felt so awkward and alone in my soberness.

If you were going home from parties crying and feeling awkward and alone, I'd say that you weren't really 'partying'.

[pyrogen]

Willpower is almost no help. Work on the deep soul-level blocks that you have toward being self-disciplined, and find some joy in the process. Willpower is just a euphemism for "I do things anyway which bring me no joy". You *can* even find joy in mundane tasks and things that are annoying. I recently discovered that I love to clean, after being a lifelong slob.