This requires more discipline than most of us have. Thankfully discipline by its very definition is teachable: Verb: train (someone) to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.

And, thankfully, you don’t have to worry too much about the ‘punish’ element of this definition as it’s inherent with not having discipline which is to say, you don’t keep to your decisions or keep your goals.

The key to developing discipline overtime is to set small goals and work towards those. See what it’s like overtime to set a goal, attain it and demonstrate to yourself it’s possible. So often with these types of goal settings and decisions, one or two failures or setbacks throws most people into a state of “what’s the use anyway”. I coach folks to not sabotage themselves with the “F”-its.

So that being said, set these small goals before reaching for bigger ones. Once you see that it’s possible, you know if you get deterred, it’s just a set back not a failure, you can pick yourself up and continue forward. Find someone you can be accountable to in order to keep them updated on your progress. Someone who’s not judgemental and can be encouraging! Maybe even someone with a similar goal that you can be accountable to each other.

Lastly once you reach the accomplishment you’re setting out for, remember to have gratitude for the process.

Rarely do I achieve things in my life without the assistance and support of others. That’s important because the moment I start believing I’m completely self-sufficient and self-reliant, I become self centered and the true joy in reaching accomplishments is sharing that experience with others so that they can feel like they can do it too! Most of the satisfaction for reaching the goal comes from the path to the goal.

Example, my husband and I set a goal to reach the financial security to purchase a home by a certain date. We met that date. We bought our first home (that was half a dozen houses ago). And, we still recall with laughter how “poor” we were during that time. The fun we had popping our own popcorn, each taking turns to pick the movie we’d watch at home rather than going to the theatre, and inviting our friends over for a spend-no-money night in. Folks ended up coming over every Friday because they knew we’d be watching a movie and they had no money either, but those nights of laughter and camaraderie turned out to be one of our funnest memories of being younger and working towards a goal.

I hope you develop the quality of integrity and accountability and above all the discipline it’s going to take to achieve anything worth achieving in life. All the best wishes from Austin Texas.