I’ve always struggled with self discipline. In fact, you could call Classic Me self-indulgent. It hurts to type that, but it’s the truth. I’ve been trying really hard to become more disciplined, though, and something I heard Dr. Laura Schlessinger say on her show yesterday has been on my mind since.
A listener called in for tips on self discipline, and Dr. Laura’s advice was simple. She said, instead of focusing on how doing whatever you need to do makes you feel, imagine how you’ll feel later on A) after complete what you need to do or B) after you skip it.
I know I always feel great after working out. Even my crappy workouts leave me with a good sense of accomplishment. With this thought practice, it’d be able to discern between not doing something because you truly don’t feel up to it (either from illness or exhaustion) and just being lazy.
I again tried to convince myself to skip yesterday’s workout, but I had heard Dr. Laura’s advice as I was pulling into my driveway, and her voice was fresh in my mind. The lazy butt in me putzed for a while until I finally sucked it up and worked out.
And you know what? I felt great.
I’m planning today to apply this way of thinking to that laundry that I’ve been putting off all week. It’s always something with me!
