Discipline

A friend of mine once asserted that all that really matters is whether the job got done or not. While this is not true ethically, or in reality, it is still a good mantra to study and consider. I don't suggest you look at this from the viewpoint of: "How can I make sure that the people in my life do what they promise to me (and what I tell them to)?", but instead more along the lines of, "Oh, so this is the sort of thing I might expect to hear from others!" In business and personal worlds, we are often judged by what we get done and how well we please the people who have power over our lives—whether it be in the workplace or whether it be from family or a personal relationship. The truth is that if you want to have strong success, then you will need to develop the discipline to do what you say and get your work finished (correctly).

The truth is that some people have an easier time than others based on random events (and catastrophes) they experience throughout their lives. With strong discipline, however, you begin to overcome the obstacles in your way and take advantage of all the good fortune. Hard work and discipline, unfortunately, can't be exchanged directly as a commodity for money and friends, so some people will simply have to work harder. You will be rewarded everything you can have, however, if you work hard, organize yourself, and take responsibility for you failures (and successes).

People do want results, and business-minded people are always trying to find ways to guarantee money invested in a human being will produce reliable output (and also to find ways to get more for less). If you have this arrangement (and most bosses do have bosses) and you want to be successful, then you will need to give your employers some strong, tangible, and fair results for their investment in you. Participating in a relationship and friendship comes attached with expectations as well. Those close to you will want certain behaviors or emotional investment from you—and this will change from person to person, obviously. In relationships it's also your responsibility to find out what he or she wants and work hard to live up to those expectations as they are reasonable. Some people will require too much or never be satisfied, but that's another topic for discussion.

How do you get discipline then? You get discipline by:

1. Understanding what your responsibilities are - Many people really aren't aware of their responsibilities or don't care
2. Becoming invested in the success or failure of those responsibilities - If you don't take personal pride in your work or reputation then you will be struggling to keep your projects (and relationships) intact
3. Organizing your work (and changing your environment to facilitate it) - Organizing all aspect of your work sufficiently—from finishing each responsibility in the right order to performing them correctly—is necessary to perform reliably
4. Accounting for it – Notice (and possibly record) when you do good job and when you fail
5. Taking responsibility for the outcome, and for the work involved in fixing errors – Don't pass the blame simply to make yourself look better, and fix anything that goes awry even when it isn't your fault

(Note: I haven't spoken much on the self-discipline required to, say, lose weight or quit smoking, but if these goals also fit well into the list up above.)

These activities will help you build discipline: