DAY 3: Commit to be more disciplined

One of the biggest problems Americans have is we lack self-control. We allow our feelings to control us instead of us working harder to control our feelings.

Some people wake up and just decide they don’t feel like going to work, even though they are in debt up to their eyeballs. People get divorced because they don’t feel like working on their marriage anymore. People even use their feelings to decide what to eat instead of eating what their body needs. And, they sure as heck will skip a workout if they don’t feel like doing it. I know I’ve done it more times than I can count.

Sadly, many people lose friends, jobs, marriages and even their life over words or actions led by temporary emotions. This is why we are supposed to discipline our body, and keep it under control. Left to itself, our feelings will destroy us.

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:27

Just think of how much further ahead we’d be if we disciplined our body and kept it under control. Whether it was controlling our tongue, our temper, our laziness or our actions – we would be a much better version of ourselves.

Improvement is a victory

While it’s not realistic to think we will just suddenly control our bodies and lead a more disciplined life, it is very realistic to think we can make improvements. Any attempt you make this time to be more disciplined is improvement.

Discipline doesn’t just happen. It is practiced. Part of it will be forced in the beginning and some of it may be forced your whole life. Most discipline is in the form of a habit. Like many tasks, things that took great discipline to do when we were young (like brushing your teeth or having “bath time”) is now completely just a habit. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. As we mature, some tasks get more challenging. Whether it is staying disciplined with your weight, or the way you just life your life, success requires a life-long commitment to practicing discipline.

Make that commitment today.

Instead of just committing to reaching a specific goal, commit to living a more disciplined life. Make a list of the things most important to you and commit to keeping those things priority in your life.

When it comes to your fitness or weight, commit to just showing up and putting in the work whether you feel like it or not. Commit to giving your body what it needs, not just what your tongue wants to taste. Commit to relying less on “feeling motivated” to get you to the gym, but simply making better decisions. Let the results motivate you – not your feelings. Feelings come and go, but the facts remain facts. And, the fact is, if you put in the work, you will get the reward.