It's funny how many people complain about their lives...

They are too fat, too skinny, not clever enough, smoke too much, drink too much, never have enough time, never have enough money... the complaints go on and on. They often blame others or they claim it is due to ‘bad luck’ or how ‘unfair’ the world is. They seem to blame everything except themselves but they don’t seem to understand that life doesn’t happen TO us, it happens BECAUSE of us. Perhaps no other life-skill is as important to develop as self-discipline. It is the key to anything you want to do... to success, to self-belief and the achievement of your dreams.

But how do you do it?

• Acknowledge that if you sit around doing nothing, you will achieve nothing.
• Take a few deep breaths, relax and visualize the action as if it were already completed.
• Now do something about it..
• It is important to be successful, so start small and work your way up.
• Face your task, accept it, and accomplish it.
• Finish what you start.
• Follow through on every project.
• Focus on one task at a time.
• Don’t scatter your attention.
• Start slowly, but gradually pick up the pace as you develop your skills.

Expect to be tempted to avoid your tasks. Your mind will come up with excuses for putting off till ‘tomorrow’ what can be done today but once you learn how to quickly act on all the tasks, responsibilities, and challenges facing you, you've cracked it. Once you can keep your level of self-discipline, you will be ready to move on to the next level by stretching yourself to seek out difficult and complex challenges that you only dared to dream about in the past. Remember, life is not something that happens to you, but you are something that happens to life. Decide today to take responsibility for your own life by mastering the art of self-discipline.

Chris