Self-discipline is one of the most important things in a man’s life. Either you have it, or you don’t. I used to have absolutely zero self-discipline or self-control. It was only after reading Stoic philosophy that I decided to start finding ways to improve my levels of self-discipline.
Little by little, you can build your amount of self-discipline. Having it means doing what is beneficial for you even when you don’t feel like it. For example, you need self-discipline in order to go to the gym. After the initial motivation fades after the first two weeks, it gets REALLY hard to keep going to the gym.
Right now I have been exercising for two months. The first month I done press-ups, the second I went to the gym. In many ways the press-ups were a stepping stone to hitting the gym. One of the best secrets to gaining an iron will is to start off small.
Challenge yourself to do 10 press-ups. If you can’t do that, try doing 5. Do this everyday for a month. This is one solid way to ease back into weightlifting without going straight to the gym outright. My medication made it very hard to exercise but I started off doing just 5 press-ups every day. Then I increased it to 10, and then 15, and then 20. If you really struggle to motivate yourself to exercise, I challenge you to do just 5 press-ups every morning. Your life will change.
Going to the gym and doing press-ups is great for developing self-discipline, but what else can you do? One way is to pick a diet. For me I follow the ketogenic diet. I eat burgers and sausages with grated cheese and zero sauces everyday. I also drink coffee with milk. This diet has been great for my mental health as well as making it easier to lose weight. I usually have 1 cheat meal at the weekend, on a Sunday.
I’ve been following keto for one month now, and I intend on following it for the foreseeable future. Something about eating the same thing everyday and being forced to cook builds self-discipline. Now I look forward to cooking my meal whereas prior to starting press-ups I was ordering food everyday. If you seriously struggle with self-discipline in your life, start doing press-ups. After, pick a diet and stick with it and eat the same things everyday.
Your motivation will compound and you will find it easier as time goes on. There are some men out there that are well and truly stuck in a rut. The only way out is to do press-ups. Just 5 a day. This effort will snowball and soon you will find yourself back at the gym and finally eating healthily. Building great self-discipline requires you to start small. After one month, you will be a completely different person.
Another thing you can add to your daily routine is to get cold showers. Cold showers are proven to elevate your testosterone levels, as well as being something that is tough to do. It is hard to get cold showers. But because it builds self-discipline, it is something that you should consider doing. I’ve been through my phase of cold showers so I shower normally now, but forced discomfort adds to your willpower so you should seriously consider introducing cold showers to your daily routine.
Finally, this is something I learned from stoic philosophy. The stoics talked a lot about living as in poverty to better prepare ourselves for misfortune. This technique builds self-discipline as well and it’s very simple. Sleep on the floor at night. Allow yourself a pillow (or backpack) and a blanket and sleep on the floor. This not only prepares you for possible future hardship but it develops your will. Doing hard things makes us stronger and more disciplined. Sleep on the floor at night. Just try it.
Finally, if you are really struggling with trying to exercise or to maintain a disciplined life, focus on your daily routine. Make a list of things that you need to do each day and check them off one by one. Not only will you feel a sense of accomplishment, completing each task develops your will and creates momentum. I created a checklist on my phone and followed it for a month. It finally got me out of my slump, as well as doing press-ups and trying to follow keto. Now I hit the gym 4 days each week, Monday and Tuesday with a rest day on Wednesday’s, and Thursday and Friday and off at the weekends.
My routine at the gym is very simple, but that’s for another article. Right now, if you want to develop your willpower and self-discipline (you need to do this, as early in life as possible), start off small. Try doing 5 press-ups and then try cooking something – just once. Soon you will be cooking everyday and ignoring Just Eat. But don’t think about future effort. Just focus on cooking something TODAY. And get it done.
From doing press-ups, following keto, going to the gym, a few cold showers, and sleeping on the floor, I eventually developed an iron will. I’ve even cut down the amount I’m vaping to 3mg, with a view to quit in the future. I’ve been unstoppable now for over two months, with a goal to get fully into shape, the best shape of my life, this very year.
And I will accomplish my goals. Some mornings I really, really don’t want to go the gym – but I force myself to anyway. And this has happened at least 5 times. The only reason I was able to power through and go anyway was because I focused on improving my self-discipline. Now I can go to the gym even when I DON’T feel like going. And that is ultimately the goal of self-discipline.
-Aaron
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