No Excuses!: The Power of Self-Discipline

“The person you are today is the sum total of all your choices and decisions in life up to this date.”

According to Aristotle, the ultimate aim of human life is to be happy. The biggest thing that holds most people back from pursuing their dreams and being happy is a lack of self-discipline. If you cultivate self-discipline, set clear goals, and begin doing the things you already know you should be doing, nothing will keep you from achieving success. Remember, success isn’t an accident—you need to have the discipline to work hard at it.

Apart from hard work, your character plays a big role in determining your success. Having strength of character will mean you are more likely to achieve your goals. When you are disciplined enough to not choose the easy way out and instead take responsibility for your actions, you strengthen your character and build your integrity. When you demonstrate to others that you are a person of good character, not only will you increase your self-esteem, others will admire you and more opportunities will come your way.

Self-discipline will also help you overcome your fears and persist through hardships. Fear is unavoidable after all, but you do have the choice to stand up to it, or back down and be controlled by it. As most, if not all, fears are learned, being self-disciplined can help you unlearn them. And only with self-discipline will you have the drive to persist through the hardest obstacles in your path to success.

“There is perhaps no area of your life where self-discipline has a greater impact on your future than in your work.”

Most, if not all, of us tend to get distracted in our day-to-day lives and stray further and further from completing our most important tasks, those that will help us achieve success. However, if we learn to set clear priorities and work on the tasks that bring us the most value, as well as cultivate the discipline to complete these tasks quickly and well, we will be on the path to success. Furthermore, these abilities will help us consolidate ourselves as leaders instead of followers, which is an invaluable trait. Leaders are truly the ones who achieve their goals, especially in their businesses and finances.

Another important aspect of achieving success is learning to properly manage your time, as this will actually help you manage your life. Time is irreplaceable—once it’s gone, it’s gone. As the only way to achieve success is through time, it is especially important to manage it effectively.

Lastly, to truly achieve success, you must learn to be solution-oriented. This means that you must rise above the petty details of your problems, refrain from assigning blame, and instead, put all of your energy and focus into solving them. Running into problems is an inevitable part of life, and if you get bogged down by them, they will only pile up and keep you from achieving your goals.

“In all religions and philosophies the highest human good or idea has been peace of mind.”

Material things aren’t the only measure of success, in fact, achieving happiness is the true measure of success. The desire to be happy is the one thing that drives all humans forward in life, and self-discipline is of utmost importance in achieving that. After all, you will only be happy and content when you are in control of your life. The thing about happiness is that it is simply a by-product of engaging in activities you enjoy with people you like and respect.

One of the factors contributing to happiness is maintaining good physical health. This means that you will need to eat right, sleep well, and exercise regularly. Not only will this have a positive impact on your mood, it will also improve your focus and intelligence.

Another factor contributing to happiness is maintaining healthy long-term relationships with people you love, whether in the form of marriage or friendships. Many marriages end in divorce due to a lack of self-discipline and commitment towards making the marriage work. Marriages are only successful when both partners can compromise and put the other one’s happiness and well-being above their own. Similarly, building a long lasting friendship requires you to respect your friend and raise their self-esteem so they feel loved and accepted.