Self-Discipline: Acceptance
The first of the five pillars of self-discipline is acceptance. Acceptance means that you perceive reality accurately and consciously acknowledge what you perceive. This may sound simple and obvious, but in practice it’s extremely difficult. Why is acceptance a pillar of self-discipline? If you haven’t consciously acknowledged where you stand right now in terms of your level of self-discipline, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to improve at all in this area. Similarly, if you want to increase your self-discipline, you must know where you stand right now. Here’s a list of challenges to get you thinking about where you stand right now (in no particular order): Do you shower/bathe every day? Just as there are different muscle groups which you train with different exercises, there are different areas of self-discipline: disciplined sleep, disciplined diet, disciplined work habits, disciplined communication, etc. Without acceptance you get either ignorance or denial.
How to Become an Early Riser
It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom. – Aristotle Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. … and the next morning, I got up just before noon. Hmmm… I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. It’s hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. The second school says you should listen to your body’s needs and go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. Through trial and error, I found out for myself that both of these schools are suboptimal sleep patterns. If you sleep set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough.
Living Your Values, Part I by Steve Pavlina
I've read many books that stress the importance of understanding your personal values, getting clear about what's most important to you in life. But at the time of this writing, I haven't yet come across a source that covers this incredibly useful concept with sufficient depth. Most of the values coverage I've read takes you through a process of eliciting your current values and then leaves it at that. But I want to take you much deeper into this rich subject and show you how to intelligently connect your values to your goals. In Part I, I will guide you through a step-by-step process for eliciting and prioritizing your personal values. My second goal is to explain the process of living with integrity to your values, so you learn how to consciously use your values to make decisions and take action. Why Do Values Matter? Values are priorities that tell you how to spend your time, right here, right now. You're free to decide what "best" means to you. Now let's begin the process of…
Passion vs. Self-Discipline
How important is passion as a success factor? Some people believe it’s the single most important factor, painting passion as the fuel that drives success. I disagree. Passion is simply an emotional state, and a temporary and unstable one at that. The reason passion gets so much credit is that it helps motivate action. And action is what generates results. Look at it this way: P = Passion A = Action R = Results Given: P causes A A causes R Conclusions: P causes R No problem there. R requires P Nope. But what if you also know this: S causes A S is not P Now you can say that the statement “R requires P” is definitely false. S = Self-Discipline Are you dizzy yet? Passion is nonessential for success. Which is better though: passion or self-discipline? Like any emotional state, passion waxes and wanes. Using passion as your only fuel will no more assure you of success than being in love will ensure a successful long-term relationship. Which would you bet on if your life depended on it?
Alternative Sleep Cycles: You Don’t Really Need 6-8 Hours!
Most people only think that there is one way to sleep: Go to sleep at night for 6-8 hours, wake up in the morning, stay awake for 16-18 hours and then repeat. Actually, that is called a monophasic sleep cycle, which is only 1 of 5 major sleep cycles that have been used successfully throughout history. The other 4 are considered polyphasic sleep cycles due to the multiple number of naps they require each day. How is this possible? How is this healthy? Well the most important of every sleep cycle is the Stage 4 REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which has been shown to provide the benefits of sleep to the brain above all other stages of sleep. This way, you still get the benefits of 8 hours of sleep without wasting all of the time it takes to get to REM cycles, resulting in a much more efficient sleep cycle. Uberman Cycle: 20 to 30 minute naps every 4 hours, resulting in 6 naps each day. Everyman Cycle: One longer “core” nap that is supplemented with several 20-30 minute naps. Dymaxion Cycle:
Achieving Goals by Improving Your Character
Often a change in character is a crucial part of shifting your identity to become more congruent with your goals and intentions. For example, suppose you want to become more successful in your career, and you set a goal to reach a certain position. Maybe the main reason you haven’t yet reached that position is that your character attributes are out of sync with it. Perhaps you aren’t disciplined enough, confident enough, or resourceful enough to get there. Once you can identify the character qualities you’re missing, you can consciously develop them. Select one of your goals or intentions, especially one where your progress has been disappointing. Ask yourself the following questions: What would a person with more self-esteem do in my situation? Feel free to scan this list of values for more ideas. By asking these questions for each of your goals, you’ll end up with a list of character qualities to develop. Any character building you accomplish now can serve you well indefinitely.
50 Life Secrets and Tips
Memorize something everyday.Not only will this leave your brain sharp and your memory functioning, you will also have a huge library of quotes to bust out at any moment. Poetry, sayings and philosophies are your best options.Constantly try to reduce your attachment to possessions.Those who are heavy-set with material desires will have a lot of trouble when their things are taken away from them or lost. Possessions do end up owning you, not the other way around. Become a person of minimal needs and you will be much more content.Develop an endless curiosity about this world.Become an explorer and view the world as your jungle. Stop and observe all of the little things as completely unique events. Read “Zen and the Art of Happiness” by Chris Prentiss.This book will give you the knowledge and instruction to be happy at all times regardless of the circumstances.
Self Discipline Bracelet
