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Self-control is essential to achieving your goals and dreams. Without it, you’ll be ruled and managed by someone else’s plan, making their dreams come true. 

Who wants that kind of life?

Not us.

You don’t need much self-control to live an average, mediocre life. 

But to live an extraordinary life, well, that takes self-control.

An interview of top athletes worldwide revealed something they all had in common: discipline. Self-control.

Self-control is a cornerstone of success.

But what happens when self-control is lacking? Here are five ways that a lack of discipline affects your life. 

A Lack of Self-control Keeps You From Achieving AND Sustaining Your Goals

Without self-control, you’re easily distracted in the moment by what you want right now. 

You don’t stay focused on your vision, so you don’t apply consistent action to make your dreams come true. You stop and start, stop and start, never making any real progress. 

Of course, there’s more than meets the eye to that cycle of disappointment and frustration (like one’s self-image, for instance) but a lack of self-control guarantees failure. 

Self-control is the management of your personal powers to stay the course despite life’s circumstances. You remain focused and disciplined; you’re in charge of your life, and you continue working consistently towards making your goals and dreams come true regardless of the situation.  

According to Psychologists, people without self-control are okay with being “average” because they shy away from investing effort in strenuous, challenging activities to become more, do more, and have more. Why? Because strenuous activities are uncomfortable. 

Growth, progress, and success require work and effort. You will encounter challenges. You will be tested. And you’ll sweat. There’s a kind of person who, for one reason or another, settles for a comfortable, average, mediocre lifestyle because the effort to become more than you are right now and to do more and have more causes too much discomfort, and they don’t like it.

Laziness appeals more to people who lack self-control because it’s comfortable and doesn’t make them sweat.

A Lack of Self-control Keeps You From Making Wise Decisions

Next-level living requires a different level of commitment than you have right now. 

Next-level living isn’t an easy process; it’s not supposed to be. 

Next-level living is something that’s chiseled and hewn within you first before you demonstrate it outwardly. 

You will be tested. And it won’t be easy. 

Your self-image and self-control must work together. When you crave to be more than you are right now, you will take inspired action even when you don’t feel like it. That’s self-control.  

A person who lacks self-control won’t make the better choice in the moment if it’s inconvenient, uncomfortable, or downright hard. 

For example, while the wellness and longevity benefits of regular physical activity are HUGE, it takes self-image and self-control to stay the course to make training a way of life. 

A person who lacks self-control will skip exercising when they don’t feel like it. 

A Lack of Self-control Reveals a Lack of Lack Inner Strength

Dr. Steve Peters, in his bestseller ‘The Chimp Paradox,’ says who we are right now is who we want to be. Personal development experts claim that who we are right now is a product of our decisions and choices over the last ninety days.  

Our thoughts and choices, which come from our self-image and outlook, are keeping us from living the life we dream of. 

Believe you’re worthy of the life you dream of living. Envision yourself living that life. And then live that way today with your decisions and choices. Make the better choice in the moment of decision by practicing self-control to protect the life you’re creating.  

A Lack of Self-control Limits Your Chances Of Succeeding In Life

Goals and dreams that take planning, effort, and diligent action don’t come easily. 

Achieving those goals takes inspiration, motivation, focus, hard work, self-control, and considerable effort. 

A person who lacks self-control will always shy away from tough challenges because they upset the status quo by causing moments of discomfort. During those moments, we need to stop focusing on the sweat and stay focused on the outcome – the thing we want more than anything else. 

Desire must be greater than discomfort. 

The alternative is an average life that becomes less and less average as the months and years pass. 

Nothing worthwhile is achieved effortlessly. 

The journey to making worthy dreams come true is met with challenges and tests; transformation happens in the fire.

The difference between success and failure is our commitment to persevere and endure when faced with trying situations which are sure to come.

A Lack of Self-control Can Create Inferior or Unhealthy Relationships

Healthy, happy, enduring relationships require integrity, honesty, dependability, and loyalty. These are traits of good character, and good character results from many things, among which is self-control. 

Character is tested and developed through challenges, which requires discipline, faith, and self-control. Good character takes the difficult path and does the hard thing when the easy path is calling our name.

It’s hard to forge good character when self-control is lacking, so you end up living a life of complacency and compromise. 

Final Thoughts

If you feel that you’re a “little” lacking in self-control, I have good news; all is not lost. 

You can teach yourself self-control starting today by setting small, easily achieved goals. For example, maybe you want to develop the habit of saving money. Get a jar or an envelope or something else, and choose to put a dollar in it every day for the next seven days, a quarter, or even 10 cents! The amount is irrelevant. It’s building the habit that’s important, which requires an alignment of your self-image, vision, and self-control to reach your goal. 

Self-control can be learned and strengthened. 

As your self-control “muscle” strengthens, choose a new level of goals to keep expanding your self-control.

Self-control is a major element of personal development and growth that improves every area of your life.

The post 5 Ways A Lack Of Discipline & Self-Control Affect Your Life appeared first on Lifestyle.

It’s that time of the year when tons of well-meaning people head to the gym to begin working on their new fitness goals.

It’s unfortunate that most of these resolutions will be long forgotten by mid-February (or sooner).

The main reason is because most resolutions are unrealistic; people set themselves up for failure before they even start!

The idea of conquering the mountain is exciting! But the actual climb? Not so much.

Losing 50 pounds by summer sounds exciting but it’s a bit overambitious for most people. Such goals make it difficult to remain enthusiastic about the new you because the results aren’t coming fast enough – as is often the case with health & fitness resolutions.

Take it slow…

It took years to develop the lifestyle habits that led to where you are now. Changing these habits will take time. This isn’t what you want to hear but it will keep you from quitting too soon.

Stick with it for at least 30 days…

It takes at least three weeks to start a new habit (in two weeks it should start feeling like your “new normal”) and six weeks to anchor it. So if you quit within the first two weeks you’ll never know whether the change was right for you.

They say “In two weeks you’ll feel it & in four weeks you’ll see it!” Whatever you decide to change about your lifestyle, whether it’s your diet or how often you work out, give yourself at least 30 days to see if the change is right for you.

Develop a daily regimen…

If you truly want to change your lifestyle you can’t just go with the flow. You can’t go to bed, wake up, eat and workout if/whenever you feel like it.

Saying “I’ll work out more” is not a plan. It’s a wish. And it takes more than wishes & good intentions to break unhealthy habits and for you to create the life you say that you want.

If you want your resolutions to stick, schedule time for them in your calendar. If you’re planning on going to the gym 3 to 5 times a week, add it to your schedule and remember to include time for your commute. Don’t leave any room for excuses.

Celebrate all achievements, big & small…

Positive reinforcement is important for staying on track. A goal that is all work and no play is extremely demotivating, which greatly increases the risk of throwing in the towel.

The reward must be something that is beneficial and keeps you on track – something you want and look forward to but WON’T derail your efforts.

You shouldn’t celebrate losing a couple pounds with 3 slices of chocolate fudge cake. It might not be enough to make you regain the weight but it’ll make it harder for you to stay on track because you will lose momentum. A better idea would be to buy yourself some new workout clothes or treat yourself to a well-earned massage.

These time-tested tips offer an insight into the psychology of resolutions so you can know which pitfalls to avoid while giving your resolutions enough time to take hold.

You WILL conquer that mountain in 2018…as long as you never stop climbing.

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