B Disciplined

Candid moment. I struggle INCREDIBLY with getting my weight together. I know that I need to. I have a family history of obesity and diabetes that I am not trying to deal with as I get older. I need to get healthier for my future and my future family. But I struggle with being disciplined with that.

I was doing good for a while. 2014 brought me down to a weight I hadn’t seen since high school (see a compare and contrast above), and I wasn’t planning on stopping. But, in the next few years after, life hit hard, and I found myself turning to food and Netflix to cope. My weight ballooned again, and I was almost back at my original weight *face palm*. Since then, I’ve been up and down.

Working out isn’t really my problem. It’s my nutrition. And fitness enthusiasts will tell you that losing weight and keeping it off is 20% working out and 80% nutrition. So you can work out all you want, but if you ain’t eating right, it doesn’t matter. Trust me, I know. That’s why I haven’t gotten to where I want to be. A lack of self-discipline. Writing it down makes me mad at myself, but fuels me at the same time.

Self-discipline is a hard concept for a lot of people to truly master because it involves personal responsibility. No one is able to truly force you to go after your goals. You have to be willing to do it for yourself.

It could be discipline when it comes to your weight or self-care in general. It could be with your business. It could be with getting tasks done at work. It could be with working on your side hustle. Whatever your goal, it requires serious discipline. That means working on it even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. That means pressing on even when things don’t seem like it’s going to work out. It means saying no to different things so you can make time for your goals.

Being disciplined requires switching up your mentality. When you’re truly disciplined and focused on your goal ahead, you don’t let your emotions or circumstances get in the way. You learn to power through procrastination or being a little tired. You’re so hungry for what’s ahead for your life, you can’t help but put in the work. So here are a few ways that have helped me on the journey to self-discipline.

1. GET UP EARLY!

The early bird really does catch the worm. I’m not going to sit here and say that just because you wake up early, every door will open to you. However, you will manage to get a lot more done, and probably have more time for yourself as well. That means getting legit sleep at night so you don’t hit snooze a thousand times on your alarm clock!

2. Make the necessary sacrifices.

For my dreams and goals, I’ve sacrificed a lot. Time and events spent with family and friends. My beloved Netflix. Even some sleep. And now I’m trying to get back on sacrifices junk food (y’all pray). While I still try to make time for fun, I’m definitely focused on my own personal and professional growth. When you’re trying to be disciplined, you’ll do what you have to do to get to where you want to be.

3. Change up your environment.

When I first moved into my apartment, I used to sit on my couch, trying to work on posts and other things. Right in front of my precious smart TV. After a while, it wasn’t too long before that TV was on, and my laptop was idly sitting by. I finally bought a desk and chair for my room, which has no TV. No distractions = more productivity.  Sometimes, you have to change up your environment to work in peace. If you don’t have your own sacred place to work, step outside of your home. Go to a coffee shop, library or another public area, bring your headphones, and get to work.

4. Reward yourself.

Something that keeps me going is giving myself a reward when I reach a certain milestone. I didn’t say every week, or even every month, and it doesn’t even have to be anything major. Let’s say if your goal is to lose weight, you can maybe track your pounds. For every 10 or 15 pounds down, you could buy a new workout outfit or some other small reward (not food, though!). I’ve found that gives me a mini goal to push forward to. Wanting to get to that goal (and my reward!) fuels me and forces me to get disciplined.

How disciplined are you in reaching your dreams and goals? Let’s get to work, y’all!

Imperfectly,