The Miracle 0 1 Sel1-Discipli ne

BV Brian TracV
Brian Tracy. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form

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for any purpose without the written permission of Brian Tracy.

our ability to develop the habit of self-discipline will contribute more to your success than any other quality of character.

Some years ago ! met "op "opmeyer a noted success authority who had discovered one thousand success principles which he had published in four boo#s containing $%& principles each. ! as#ed him which of these one thousand principles he considered to be the most important. 'e said that it was self-discipline (The ability to ma#e yourself do what you should do when you should do it whether you feel li#e it or not.( )apoleon 'ill after interviewing %&& of the richest people in *merica concluded that (Self-discipline is the master #ey to riches.( Tom ----- the famous sales trainer said that (Success is tons of discipline.( +im Rollins said (,iscipline weighs ounces but regret weights tons.(

Discipline weighs ounces, but regret weighs tons.

,r. Edward -anfield from 'arvard concluded that (.ong time perspective( was the #ey to upward social and economic mobility in *merica or anywhere else in the world. 'e discovered in fifty years of research that people who succeeded greatly had the ability to thin# long

term to delay gratification in the short term so that they could en/oy even greater rewards in the long term. They thought ten and twenty years into the future while ma#ing decisions for their current actions. The #ey word is (sacrifice.( !t is the ability for you to sacrifice immediate pleasure or gratification in the present so that you can en/oy greater rewards down the road.

*lbert Einstein once said that (0ompound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.( This is why saving and investing in the present is the first #ey to becoming financially successful in the future. Self-discipline means self-control self-mastery and the ability to have (dinner before dessert.( This doesn1t mean that you don1t have pleasurable e2periences in life but it means that you have them after you have done the hard and necessary wor# and completed your #ey tas#s. The payoff for practicing self-discipline is immediate. 3henever you discipline yourself and force yourself to do the right thing whether you feel li#e it or not you will li#e and respect yourself more. 4our selfesteem increases. 4our self-image improves. 4our brain releases endorphins which made you happy and proud. 4ou actually get a payoff every time you hold your own feet to the fire. The most important point is that self-discipline is a habit that you can learn with practice and repetition. !t ta#es appro2imately twenty-one days of repetition without e2ception to develop a habit of medium comple2ity. Sometimes you can develop a habit faster and sometimes it will ta#e longer. !t is up to you and how determined you are. Some years ago a business man 'erbert 5rey began searching for what he called (The common denominator of success.( 'e researched and interviewed successful people for eleven years and finally concluded that successful people are those who (6a#e a habit of doing what unsuccessful people don1t li#e to do.( *nd what are these things7 !t turns out that successful people don1t li#e to do them either but they do them anyway because they reali8e it is the price of success. Rich ,evos founder of *mway once said that (There are lots of things in life that you don1t li#e to do li#e prospecting selling and building your business in the evenings and wee#ends but you do them anyway so that you can do the things that you really en/oy later on. There are nine disciplines you can develop that will improve every area of your life. !t turns out that every e2ercise of self-discipline strengthens every other discipline at the same time /ust as every wea#ness in self-discipline wea#ens you in other disciplines as well.

1.
a)

The Discipline of Clear Thinking:

Thomas Edison once said (Thin#ing is the hardest discipline of all.(

!t has been said that there are three types of people. There are those who thin# 9The small minority:; there are those that thin# they thin# then there are those who would rather die than thin#. Ta#e time to thin# though the critical issues and problems in your life. Put aside long unbro#en chun#s of time thirty si2ty and then ninety minutes. Peter ,ruc#er said that (<ast people decisions are usually wrong people decisions.( !n addition fast decisions with regard to your family career money or any other ma/or issue are usually wrong decisions.

b)

Sit quietly for =&->& minutes to thin#. Practice solitude on a regular basis. (5o into the silence.(

c)

3henever you practice solitude for more than thirty minutes you activate your super conscious mind and trigger your intuition. 4ou get it right from the (still small silent voice within.(

Fast people decisions are usually wrong people decisions.

e)

d)

To thin# better ta#e a pad of paper and write down every detail of the problem situation you are facing. Sometimes the right thing to do immerges as you write down the details.

*ristotle once said that wisdom 9The ability to ma#e good decisions: is a combination of e2perience plus reflection. The more time that you ta#e to thin# about your e2periences the more vital lessons you will gain from them.

f)

5o for a wal# or e2ercise for =&->& minutes. ?ery often when you are e2ercising you will get insights or ideas that help you to thin# better and ma#e better decisions.

g)

Tal# your situation over with someone else who you li#e and trust and who is not emotionally involved. ?ery often a different perspective can totally change your viewpoint.

h) *lways as# (3hat are my assumptions7( 3hat is it that you are assuming to be true about the situation7

i)

3hat if your assumptions were wrong7 3hat if you were preceded on the basis of false information7

*lways be open to the possibility that you could be completely wrong in your current course of action. -e open to doing something completely different.

2.
a) b)

The discipline of daily GoalSe ing:

<ocus and concentration are the essential qualities for success.

Start by as#ing (3hat do ! really want to do with my life7( *s# this question over and over again until you get a clear answer. !magine that you had ten million dollars cash but only ten years to live. 3hat would you immediately do differently in your life7

c)

!magine that you have no limitations. That you could wave a magic wand and have all the time and money all the education and e2perience all the contacts you needed to achieve any goal. 3hat would you do then7

d)

-uy a spiral noteboo# and write in it every day. -egin by writing out ten goals in the present positive and personal tense. -egin each goal with the word (!( followed by an action verb. <or e2ample you could write (! earn @22 222 by ,ecember =A $&&B.(

e)

Every day before you start off rewrite your top ten goals in the present tense as though you had already achieved them and you were reporting on this success to someone else. Rewrite your goals without loo#ing bac# to the previous page. Rewrite them from memory. 3atch how they grow develop and change over time as you rewrite them each day. 6any people have said that the discipline of daily goal setting has transformed their life and far faster than they had even imagined.

3.
a)

The discipline of Daily Ti!e "anage!en :

RuleC (Every minute spent in planning saves ten minutes in e2ecution.( The more you plan the bet-

ter you use your time and the more you accomplish. -egin by ma#ing a list of everything that you have to do. The best time to write your daily list is the night before so that your subconscious can wor# on it while you sleep.

b) c)

Organi8e the list by priority before starting wor#. Practice the D&E$& rule which says that D&F of your results come from $&F of your activities. 3hat are they7

d)

Gse the *-0,E method to set priorities. This is based on considering the consequences of doing or not doing a particular tas#. * H 6ust do - serious consequences for non-completion - H Should do - mild consequences for non-completion 0 H )ice to do - no consequences for non-completion , H possible E H time ,elegate everything

Eliminate - everything you can to free up more

e)

Organi8e your list by *-A *-$ *-= and so on.

The discipline of good time management spreads to all your other disciplines.

f)

Start on your *-A tas# first thing in the morning.

g) h)

,iscipline yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on your *-A tas# until it is A&&F complete. The discipline of good time management spreads to all your other disciplines. !t has immediate payoff in improved results and long term payoff in terms of the quality of your life wor#.

#.
a)

The Discipline of Co$rage:

0ourage requires that you ma#e yourself do what you should do that you deal with your fears

rather than avoiding them. The biggest obstacle to success in life is fear of failure e2pressed in the feeling that (! can1tI ! can1tI ! can1tI( b) 0ourage is a habit developed by practicing courage whenever it is required.

c) d)

*s Emerson said (,o the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain.( 6a#e a habit of confronting your fears rather than avoiding them. 3hen you confront the fear and move toward it especially if it is another person or people or situation the fear gets smaller and you become braver.

e)

Repeat the words to cancel fear (! can do itl( over and over to build up your courage and confidence.

f)

!dentify one fear in your life and then discipline yourself to deal with it to confront it to do whatever it involves as quic#ly as you possibly can. The payoff for identifying a fear and confronting it is tremendous it gives you the courage and confidence to go through your life and deal with every fear-inducing situation.

%.
a)

The Discipline of &'cellen (eal h (abi s:

4our goal should be to live to A&& in superb physical health. ,esign and imagine your ideal body. 3hat would your body loo# li#e if it was perfect in your own estimation7 This is your goal. b) c) The #ey to health and life can be summari8ed in five words (Eat less and e2ercise more.( ,evelop the discipline of e2ercising every day even if all you do is go for a wal#. E2ercise is best done in the morning immediately after you get up before you have time to thin# about it. !f you do this for $A days it will become part of your regular routine for the rest of your life. d) e) f) g) Eliminate the three white poisonsC flour sugar and salt. Eat more salads and lighter foods; eat before >pm and eat half portions. 5et regular medical and dental chec#-ups. They can add years to your life. Gse the 6ichael +ordon methodC (+ust do itl(

).

The Discipline of +eg$lar Sa,ing and -n,es ing:

Resolve today to get out of debt stay out of debt and become financially independent.

4our goal and everyone1s goal is to achieve financial independence

The key is for you to save 10%, 1 % and even !0% of your income throughout your life.

as soon as possible in life. This requires continuous financial discipline with every dollar you earn. The #ey is for you to save A&F A%F and even $&F of your income throughout your life. a) -ecause you are probably in debt already begin by saving AF of your income and discipline yourself to live on the other JJF until this becomes a habit. b) !ncrease the amount of monthly savings to $F =F and eventually A&F and A%F. ,iscipline yourself to live on the balance.

c) d) e)

Rewire your thin#ing from (! en/oy spending( to (! en/oy saving.( ,elay; defer ma/or purchases for =& days. !nvestigate before you invest. Two thirds of investment success comes from avoiding mista#es. !nvest as much time in studying the investment as you invested to earn the money in the first place.

f)

Pay cash for as many things as possible. 5et rid of your credit cards. 3hen you pay cash the amount you are spending is far more visible and painful.

g)

(!f you cannot save money the seeds of greatness are not in you.( 93. 0lement Stone:

*.
a)

The Discipline of (ard .ork:

5oalC ,evelop a reputation for being a hard hard wor#er.

(The harder you wor# the luc#ier you get.( 9Thomas +efferson: The average wor# wee# in *merica is =$ hours.

b)

The average person wastes %&F of the wor#day in idle chit-chatting with co-wor#ers e2tended coffee brea#s and luncheons personal business reading the newspaper and surfing the internet.

c) d) e) f)

RuleC 3or# all the time you wor#I Start one hour earlier and immediately get to wor#. 3or# harder through your lunch hour all day long; don1t waste time. 3or# one hour later; be the last to leave. Gse this time to wrap up all your wor# and plan your ne2t day. Three e2tra hours of wor# will translate into >-D hours of productivity.

g)

*s#; what is the most valuable use of my time right now7 3hatever your answer wor# on that every hour of every day.

h)

!f you get distracted or interrupted repeat over and over (-ac# to wor#I -ac# to wor#I -ac# to wor#I(

/.
a) b)

The Discipline of Con in$o$s 0earning:

(To earn more you must learn more.(

+im RowanC (3or# at least as hard on yourself as you do on your wor#.( Read in your field =&->& each day. This will translate into one boo# per wee# %& boo#s per year. .isten to 0,1s in your car as you drive from place to place. This will amount to %&&-A&&& hours per year. c) *ttend seminars and ta#e courses given by e2perts in your field. One idea from one course can save you years of hard wor#. d) The average income in *merica increases at =F per annum. 3ith compound interest the average person doubles their income every $$ years.

e)

3ith the additional #nowledge and s#ill you can apply to get better results you increase your income at A&F A%F and even $%F per year. 2 A&F per annum increase means that you double your income in B.$ years. 2 $%F increase per annum means that you double your income in $ years and D months.

f)

3or# on yourself as if your future depends on it because it does.

1.

The Discipline of 3ersis ence:

The greatest test of self-discipline is when you persist in the face of adversity and you drive your-

self forward to complete your tas#s A&&F no matter how you feel. 0ourage has two partsC The first part is the courage to begin to start to launch forward with no guarantees of success. The second part is the courage to endure to persist when you feel discouraged and want to quit. a) 4our persistence is the measure of your belief in yourself and in what you are doing. b) The more you believe in the goodness and rightness of what you are doing the more you will persist.

"ersistence is actually self#discipline in action.

c)

The more you persist the more you will tend to believe in yourself and what you are doing. The principles are reversibleI

d) e)

Persistence is actually self-discipline in action. Self-discipline leads to self-esteem a greater sense of personal power which leads to greater persistence which leads to even greater self-discipline in an upward spiral.

f) g)

(Persistence is to the character of man or woman as carbon is to steel.( 9)apoleon 'ill: 4ou actually ma#e yourself into a better stronger person by persisting when you feel li#e quitting.

4ou ta#e complete control over the development of your own character. Eventually you become unstop- pable.

The benefi s of prac icing self4discipline in e,ery area of yo$r life are !any:
1) The habit of self-discipline virtually guarantees your success in life both with others and with yourself. 2) 3) #) %) )) 4ou will get more done faster and of higher quality with discipline than with any other s#ill. 4ou will be paid more and promoted faster. 4ou will e2perience a greater sense of self-control self-reliance and personal power. Self-discipline is the #ey to self-esteem self-respect and personal pride. The greater your self discipline the greater your self-confidence and the lower will be your fear of failure and re/ection. )othing will stop you. *) 3ith self-discipline you will have the strength of character to persist over all obstacles until you eventually succeed. -egin today to practice self-discipline in every area of your life. Persist in this practice until self-discipline comes to you as automatically and as easily as breathing in and breathing out. 4our future will be guaranteed.