Discipline takes Time....Be gentle with yourself!

"Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishments." Tell me about it! I have heard it said so many times it feels like a bell ringing in my ear. The truth about adages like these is that they work fine when they come easy. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was is to discipline myself long enough to see real and lasting change. Oh yeah, I've seen the fleeting results of a six-month weight loss programme, I have saved more in one year than I've saved in all my other years combined.....only to find myself back at the starting post...with no money in the bank and little or no disposable income. Oh believe me, I know first-hand the vicissitudes of attempting a life of discipline.

And what's even worse than watching yourself fail over and over again is what it does to your mental and emotional state. Each failure, if you're not careful, makes you less willing to attempt the next opportunity. Feelings of incompetence, inadequacy and insecurity become bed-fellows and instead of going after the growth that motivated your initial efforts, you begin to shun the discipline necessary to becoming more. I know. I have been there. Over and over again.

But I am learning how to get over the bridge. I've learnt how very important it is to give myself permission to fail...over and over again. I have learnt that great is still the enemy of good and that to strive for perfection is to set myself up for loss. And so I have determined that baby steps in the direction of my goals is way better than no steps at all. I have learnt how important it is to maintain focus in the face of distractions; that it may be necessary to take small breaks but always to return to base....to the task of working to make a difference in the lives of others, to finding my truth, to living authentically, to becoming all I was created to be...to living intentionally.

And so today my encouragement to you is chin up....if you've tried and failed over and again at losing weight, developing a reading discipline, drinking more water, eating more vegetables, studying more frequently, networking more...whatever it is...keep at it. All of today's experts were once in the place you find yourself today. Discipline, like success, does not happen over-night. You have probably been undisciplined all your life....change won't happen just cause you want it to. Habits and routines take time. Discipline will happen as you keep at it through all the twists and turns, ups and downs, wins and losses. Just be sure to never give in. To those truly invested in your personal growth I say, the road along that extra mile is never crowded....go the distance. Discipline will come. It's guaranteed!