The Sure-Fire Secret to Living a Life You Love

What if I told you that I had a secret that was guaranteed to help you experience more success, joy, prosperity and abundance than you ever thought was possible for your life? Would you think that I was yanking your chain? Would you think that I was just trying to sell you some hocus-pocus snake oil that was nothing more than over hyped, empty promises?

Yeah…me too.

Or, at least I would have thought that, before I discovered that there really was something that, when applied liberally and in regular doses, could actually increase success levels beyond expectations.

Fortunately, this isn’t any witch doctor voo-doo, nor is it some big secret that you have to shell out thousands of dollars on some over-priced personal development seminar to receive. It’s simple (though not necessarily easy) and it is free for anyone to access (whether or not they choose to actually use it). This magical, sure-fire secret to success is none other than good old, SELF DISCIPLINE.

Okay–simmer down. I can almost hear your groans and see your eye rolls, but here’s the deal…whether we like it or not, our most FabYOUlous life will not come to fruition unless and until we learn to make self discipline our friend. It is our ability to diligently apply strategic and intentional discipline to our lives that will bridge the gap between where we currently are to where we want to be.

Don’t worry though if self discipline isn’t something that comes easy for you–that pretty much just makes you human. Fortunately (for all of us), self discipline is something that can be built up; and just like a muscle, it becomes stronger the more often we flex it.

Though I cover a ton of great ideas on how to develop more self discipline in my book, Finding FabYOUlous: A ‘Self-Help with Sass’ Guide to Finding, Celebrating and Capitalizing On the FabYOUlousness that Makes You, YOU (yes–that was a shameless plug, but seriously–it’s a great book!); here are few simple strategies that you can start implementing right away to help get that self discipline muscle working in your favor instead of against you…

Simple Ways to Boost Your Self-Discipline and Improve Your Odds of Living a Truly FabYOUlous Life

Start on a Monday. Research shows that setting a specific starting date for a new routine and planning around that date, will help to improve your odds of following through with your actions. This strategy is amplified if your start date falls at the beginning of the week or beginning of the month.
Find a way to make your task enjoyable. In 2016 I had a bout of temporary insanity and decided that I was going to train for and run a half-marathon. Mind you; I am not a runner, had never been a runner and honestly, don’t really like running. Still, I wanted to do something that would challenge me, push my limits and get me into better shape physically–so a half-marathon it was. Training for my race was more physically taxing than I had expected, but I found one little “hack” that made my training so much more bearable. You see, there is a book series that I absolutely love (it’s the Black Dagger Brotherhood series by JR Ward–what can I say, I’m a sucker for sexy vampires–don’t laugh), but I obviously couldn’t just lay around reading every day if I ever wanted to run my half-marathon. So…instead, I downloaded the books onto my audible app and only allowed myself to listen to them while I was running. It worked so well that I actually found myself tacking on extra distance to some of my runs just so I could finish a chapter. This simple little tweak to my training made something that was an absolute chore for me into something that I actually began to look forward to. Put this suggestion to work for you by brainstorming some ways that you can add a little enjoyment to some of your more difficult tasks.
Visualize the benefits that your self discipline will reap. One of the most powerful tools that I have in my FabYOUlous Life toolbox is my vision board. If you’ve followed FabYOUlous Life for any length of time, you likely already know that I absolutely, positively believe in the power of visualization because I’ve seen it work in my life time and time again. Well, one of the reasons that it works so well is that my vision board is one of my most powerful motivators when it comes to exercising my self discipline. Whenever I begin to feel my willpower start to wane, all I have to do is take another look at my vision board to get psyched up again. Seeing my goals and aspirations on my board, is often all it takes for me to get recommitted to the self discipline that is going to be required of me in order to bring those visions into my reality. Sure–I still believe that we can manifest amazing things into our lives without any effort (remember that free, seven night trip for four to Hawaii that I won?) but I also believe that we will appreciate even more, those things that we were disciplined enough to bring to fruition (like my half-marathon finisher’s medal). Put this power to work for you by taking time every single day to visualize the FabYOUlous life that will come about as a result of your strategic self discipline.
Get a full 8 hours of sleep. Okay, I’ll confess that this one is a challenge for me. For whatever reason, I tend to be nocturnal by nature so night time is my favorite time. This means that getting a full eight hours of sleep is something that rarely happens for me. Still…studies show that sleep deprivation can impair the way the prefrontal cortex of the brain functions and the prefrontal cortex just happens to be the part of the brain that controls self regulation. If you want to increase your self discipline muscle, you will be far more successful if you are well rested.
Do it for YOU. Make sure that the goals that you are striving for are your goals; the vision that you hold fast to is your vision and the reasons for your commitment are your reasons. Nothing can drain a person’s life force and deplete one’s ability to sustain self discipline faster than trying to live up to somebody else’s expectations or abide by someone else’s “rules”. On the flip side, nothing can fortify and strengthen self discipline more than the knowledge that you are living your life and following your passions in a way that feels right to you.
Don’t drink on it. We all know what alcohol can do to one’s inhibitions (hence the phrase “courage in a bottle”) but unfortunately, alcohol also negates our ability to think through the consequences of our actions. Alcohol might tell you that one little puff won’t hurt when you are trying to give up smoking–but it prevents you from following the logical chain of thought regarding the consequences of your actions. One little puff can trigger the nicotine cravings that you were trying so hard to curb and lead you right back into your pack a day habit. When we are truly committed to reaching a goal and want to give ourselves the very best odds for success, it is important that alcohol consumption be managed appropriately.
Prepare for difficult situations. Whenever we try to make positive changes in our life, we are bound to face some opposition. It might come in the form of unsupportive “friends”, appealing distractions or a bag of Cheetos. The key to maintaining a high level of self discipline during these times of resistance is to have a contingency plan already in place. For me, this looks like installing social media blocking apps that allow me to block Facebook, Instagram, etc. while I am working on my book or my website, so that I don’t get sucked into yet another mindless Facebook quiz to discover which Grease character I am. For my friend Justine, this looks like a baggie of carrots in her purse that she can nosh on whenever she feels the urge to light up a cigarette, and for my other friend Dana, it is a prepared (and rehearsed) response whenever her crabby co-worker comes into her office and wants to waste valuable time with a gripe session. By thinking of the various scenarios in which our self discipline might be tested, and coming up with strategies ahead of time to prepare us for those moments, we give ourselves a greater chance at being successful.
Have some honey, honey. Science has shown that a drop in glucose levels can result in a drop in our willpower and self discipline. To combat this, try drinking some lemon and honey mixed in a cup of hot water. It is a healthy way to refuel and replenish your self discipline muscle.
Affirm it. Just as visualization is a powerful practice for upping your self discipline level, so is the practice of using affirmations. The things that you say (especially to and about yourself) hold incredible power. In fact, the word “abracadabra” which is commonly used by magicians, derives from an Aramaic phrase meaning “I create as I speak.” Be sure that the “magic” you’re creating is positive in nature. Rather than saying to yourself “I’m so fat” or “I’ll never get a raise” try saying things like “my body is strong and getting stronger” or “wonderful opportunities are coming my way and I’m ready to seize them.” This shift in phrasing will pull you into a more positive frame of mind and give your self discipline muscle a boost. For a few of my favorite affirmations, click here for a free printable, or if you are on Pinterest and would like some suggestions for positive affirmations, check out my Affirmations Pinterest board
Find your tribe. How successful we are in life has A LOT to do with the kinds of people that we associate with. In fact, the late personal development guru, Jim Rohn once said that each one of us is the average of the five people that we spend the most time with. So, that being the case, take a look at the predominant people in your life and then ask yourself if it is any wonder why you are at the level that you’re at in life. Do you associate with ambitious, self disciplined, high vibe people who strive to be their best while encouraging you to do the same, or is your tribe a bit more on the slacker of the tracks. While I’m not suggesting that you rudely cut people out of your life, I am suggesting that you take a good, close look at the influences that you surround yourself with. Your self discipline levels will be inflated when you spend time with others who are disciplined and are working toward big goals. Conversely; other people’s laziness and bad habits can just as easily rub off on you. Setting boundaries with people who don’t contribute to your overall levels of happiness, fulfillment and purpose might be a little painful at first, but the payoff will be worth it when you are reaching your goals andl iving your most FabYOUlous life.

By implementing a few of these strategies today, you’ll soon find that your self discipline levels will start to rise, your will power will get a boost and you’ll start moving closer and closer to your desired destination. Yes, you’ll still encounter bumps in the road and you’ll still come up against occasional opposition–that’s life. With these strategies working in your favor however; you’ll be better equipped to handle these setbacks and maintain progress toward your goals. Self discipline truly is the sure-fire way to bridge the gap between where you currently are in your life and where you long to be.