Estimated reading time: 6 minutes, 43 seconds
Discipline turns potential into progress.
Great things are rarely achieved through occasional bursts of effort.
Build habits that keep you moving, even when motivation disappears.
Today’s visual is heavily inspired by Hidde of Growth by Visuals. You can find him here.
You might think that you’re making progress, but if you’re going from random task to random task, you won’t make any serious progress.
When you consistently act in a way that builds upon the previous act, you will reach unimaginable heights.
It’s just about one small step at a time.
Here’s a quote from someone who knows a little bit about discipline:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Your goals will be just goals unless you learn to be disciplined.
Invest in discipline more than ambition.
I used to consider myself a pretty foolish man.
I was disorganised, inconsistent and not really heading anywhere in life. Looking back, I think there was potential there, but I just wasn't doing much with it.
One thing that helped to change that was learning to become more disciplined.
It started with journalling. Inspired by James Clear's teachings in Atomic Habits, I developed a practice that has now filled more than 70 journals with thousands of words.
Now that discipline spilled into other areas.
Creating illustrations.
Showing up online.
Building Wisdom Made Easy.
Sending this newsletter every week for almost four years without missing one.
None of this required extraordinary discipline. Just small habits, repeated consistently.
Here are 3 ways to become more disciplined:
Focus on inputs.
Choose actions you can control.
For example, if you’re building online, you cannot guarantee getting 100 likes on each post, but you can publish something consistently.
Build your discipline around doing the work, not getting the result.
Set the bar low.
Make starting ridiculously achievable.
For example, if you want to become a runner, don't commit to running 10K every day.
Instead, commit to putting on your running gear and running to the end of the road.
Momentum might just take you further.
Never miss twice.
You will occasionally fall short. It’s inevitable.
Give yourself grace, then get back on the horse quickly.
James Clear shares that “Missing once is an accident. Missing twice is the start of a new habit.”
Discipline isn't about being perfect.
It's about becoming someone who keeps showing up.
Let’s dive deeper into today’s wisdom with these 3 journal prompts:
Where would greater discipline make the biggest difference in my life?
Where am I already disciplined, and what can I learn from it?
What small action could I commit to consistently?
If you’re not 1 of the 30,000,000 people to have already read it, I highly recommend purchasing a copy of James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
If you want to become more disciplined, you have to start by understanding how habits actually work, and this book is your guide for that.
Clear explains how small behaviours compound over time and provides practical ways to make good habits easier to repeat.
It's one of the books that helped me turn journaling from something I occasionally did into something I do daily.
Purchase a copy here to become more disciplined today:
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Catch you in the next issue!
Thanks,
Michael