As we approach the beginning or the end of a new year, month, day, or week it is expected and almost the normal way of being to dwell on all of our short comings. In dwelling we feel justified in playing the blame game; placing blame on everyone and everything without taking any responsibility for the results we did or did not get. In life we will always be presented with valid reasons and areas in which we struggle. In the midst of those limiting facts of life there are empowering facts of life such as the power of choice. We must be open to the fact that just as we have valid reasons/excuses as to why things may not work in our favor, there are also very good reasons as to why things can work. The problem is too often we forget that we have options and yes, it is safe to safe we can place blame on our upbringing for most of our learned behaviors. Although that is a very factual and fair claim to be excused from what you do not know it is also a good enough reason to be open to learning new things that will serve you better moving forward. No one is responsible for our happiness, our peace, our health, or our success, it is up to us to know what we want and create an action plan of how to get it. Our current circumstances and upbringing do not limit or determine the quality of our life that we can choose to live. We are all capable of getting things done the issue for many of us is the lack self -discipline, often failing to prioritize our days and our time and committing to them. Our phones, friends, family, emotions, and our mindset plays a huge part in our ability to stay focused and consistent. Which leads me to the why it is very important to set boundaries and rules daily to execute on our goals. Goal setting is key, and it is very important to have clarity and be realistic with yourself, ask yourself what you are you willing to sacrifice in order to progress daily. Mastering self-discipline is simply just a choice of what you want now or what you want more.

The first and most important step to goal setting and becoming disciplined is to pray about it; I know it may sound cliché and outside of the normal to do lists and steps that we hear. On my journey of transformation and personal development having an active prayer life has been the key to having peace and clarity as I walk in faith the to explore the new. I was once very guilty of lacking self-discipline in some areas of my life, I am a lot better today than I was in the past. Full disclaimer it was a lot of work, it was not easy, and it most certainly did not happen overnight. The truth is the end result is so worth it very rewarding gifted me with much self -reflection and healing. The good news is that journey of self -discipline and growth is one that never ends there will always be new challenges, and new lessons to learn before elevating to a new and higher level in our life.  Honestly speaking I have mastered some areas and there are presently still areas that I am actively working on growing in.  A few of my major areas of struggle in the beginning was being distracted by phone calls, messages and social media scrolling. I had to make a choice to take control of my environment daily and making sure that I was respecting my time in order for others to do the same.

The results and progress I desire to make daily is my responsibility and placing blame would not get me any closer to achieving success. I used to justify these behaviors by telling myself I was good at multitasking. In reality I was really just pulling myself in too many directions all at once. The results I got from that was frustration and incompletion because I was not giving a hundred percent of my attention to the task, I set out to do, and my thoughts were now controlled by outside forces. I quickly had to get present to the fact that if I continued, I would never complete anything. I had to create a solution that would promote focus the solution is what I call my pre-work set up, to make sure my energy was right, my mind was clear. I started with prayer to fuel my spirit, followed by a moment to sit in silence and listen to my inner voice, I then take approximately twenty minutes to read something of substance to fuel my mind. Lastly but most importantly I refrain from any negative conversations or negative activities remember negative thoughts bring forth negative results.

Setting rules and boundaries in our life may seem challenging at first as we all have been comfortable with being available at all times, keep in mind that not everything and everyone deserves to have access to you to all the time. A major key to self-discipline is the art of protecting our minds and our peace. The choice to be selfless is not always received well by others especially those that have been granted excessive access to us. I want to highlight that there is also a great lesson if they cannot respect your time and your goals, they do not deserve your time. One of my favorite and most successful strategies to executing daily is by having a routine scheduled with time slots of priorities and holding myself accountable, with notes and alarm reminders. One quote that I always keep present in my mind is to “work harder on yourself than you do anything else.” Many people will live their entire lives trading time for money and be disciplined going through the motions they have boundaries which is good, but the reality is a job is someone else paying you to build their dreams. If you can master discipline in your workplace so should you be for your life and purpose because you deserve it and you have something unique to offer. The conversations we have the activities we partake in has a lot to do with the thoughts we have and how we work. My challenge for us is to be deliberate about our work when it is work time, we are giving a hundred percent to work so that when it is family time or time to relax. We can enjoy these things without the worry of what you didn't get finished or getting trapped in the web of multi-tasking, Always remember all success begins with self-discipline and it begins with you.