Daily Self-Discipline: Everyday Habits and Exercises to Build Self-Discipline and Achieve Your Goals (Simple Self-Discipline Book 2)

by Martin Meadows

Each time you choose a smaller reward now instead of a larger reward later, you’re robbing your future self. We’re bad at envisioning our future selves and associating who we are now with the person we’ll be in a year.

Let’s say you’d like to lose twenty pounds and get fit. However, you struggle with this goal because you can’t give more value to the future reward (healthy physique) over the instant reward (eating food you love). Consequently, instant gratification always wins.

When asked, most people wouldn’t hesitate to say their most important values include health, family, or freedom. Yet, their daily lives don’t reflect it because they don’t have clear rules regarding their values – a personal compass to guide them.

Living with intent requires a clear mind and focus. Having a set of clearly-defined values (and the following habits or rules you need to practice to be consistent with them) will help you maintain a steady level of self-discipline in life.

Self-discipline isn’t built overnight. If you want to become mentally tougher and more in control over your temptations, play the long game and prioritize sustainability over quick results.

Fortunately, a process called cognitive reappraisal50 – reinterpreting the meaning of the negative event to give it a positive slant – can help handle this problem.