Consistency is a big word, and a vague one at that—it can, and does, apply to every aspect of our lives. You show up to work or school consistently and do basic human things such as eating and brushing your teeth. But what about being consistent with things we’re not told to do by someone else? The answer is discipline.
You’ve probably grown up with the word discipline having a negative connotation; you’ll be disciplined if you act out. As children, discipline was often a consequence of doing something wrong. Well, it’s time to rewrite how you feel about discipline.
Training your Mind
The goal is that you train your mind well enough to the point where you’re consistent with healthy habits every day that bring you closer to your goals. This is possible, but certainly easier said than done. If you’re trying to be more consistent, you’ll need discipline in your life, but it can start on a small scale at first.
For example, say you’re trying to spend less time watching TV or scrolling on social media. Setting an alarm on your phone and turning off the TV when the alarm goes off would be a good way to go about this. But mostly, discipline is just doing things when you don’t want to do them.
Using Discipline for Consistency
Let’s say you want to get up earlier in the mornings, but you’re so tired and groggy you end up going back to sleep right away. You’re much less likely to fall back asleep if you get up as soon as your alarm goes off, but it feels near impossible in the moment. If you can’t seem to bring yourself to do it, perhaps you set your clock or phone far away from your bed, so you’ll be forced to get up and turn the alarm off.
Discipline doesn’t always work like this, though. If you’re trying to go to the gym more often, or learn a new skill, the only thing between you and doing it is you. Therefore, it can be beneficial to start small. For instance, if you don’t have it in you to go to the gym, try a home workout from YouTube. or take walk around the neighborhood. Make this a habit and before you know it, you’ll actually want to go to the gym.
Takeaway
It’s not easy by any means, but it does get easier to discipline yourself. There is a fine line between training yourself to be better and being hard on yourself, though. You’ll want to discipline yourself while warding off negative thoughts at the same time. The more disciplined you are in your daily life, the more you’ll be able to truly relax when the time comes. They say consistency is the key to success, but discipline is the key to consistency.