Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 32 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to build self-discipline
— From Leadership 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
I’ve been on a roll lately reading the books from the 101 Series by leadership guru John C. Maxwell, it’s a great bunch of short books, and each one can be read in one sitting. Highly recommended! Once I’m done with all, I’ll be putting together a series for you. Stay tuned!
I was particularly struck when I read in the Leadership 101 book that each of us influences at least ten thousand other people during our lifetime. (!) “So the question is not whether you will influence someone, but how you will use your influence.”
When John C. Maxwell teaches leadership at conferences and is asked whether leaders are born, he answers, “Yes, of course they are… I’ve yet to meet one who came into the world any other way!” (LOL) After laughing, he explains that leadership is a set of skills that anyone can learn and improve.
But before we can lead anyone, we need to lead ourselves. “The first person you lead is you,” says Maxwell. And that we do by cultivating self-discipline.
“No matter how gifted a leader is, his gifts will never reach their maximum potential without the application of self-discipline.” – John C. Maxwell
Maxwell shares three action points to build self-discipline and have it work as an asset in our favor:
1. Challenge your excuses. “Challenge and eliminate any tendency to make excuses. As French writer François [de] La Rochefoucauld said, ‘Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them.’ If you have several reasons why you can’t be self-disciplined, realize that they are really just a bunch of excuses—all of which need to be challenged if you want to go to the next level as a leader.”
2. Remove rewards until the job is done. “If you lack self-discipline, you may be in the habit of having dessert before eating your vegetables.” Set up a system that will help you get the job done. Maxwell tells the story of a family arriving at a campground. A couple and three kids got off the car. “One child hurriedly unloaded ice chests, backpacks, and other items while the other two quickly put up tents. The site was ready in 15 minutes.” An older couple that was watching all this from the neighboring campsite said to the father, “You folks sure do work great together.” To which the father replied, “ You just need a system. Nobody goes to the bathroom until camp’s set up.”
3. Stay focused on results. “Anytime you concentrate on the difficulty of the work instead of its results or rewards, you’re likely to become discouraged. Dwell on it too long, and you’ll develop self-pity instead of self-discipline. The next time you’re facing a must-do task and you’re thinking of doing what’s most convenient instead of paying the price [of doing it], change your focus. Count the benefits of doing what’s right and then dive in.”
Lastly, I’ll leave you a quote by author H. Jackson Brown: “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates. There’s plenty of movement, but you never know if it’s going to be forward, backwards, or sideways.” To which Maxwell remarks, “If you know you have talent, and you’ve seen a lot of motion—but little concrete results—you may lack self discipline.”
Apply these three action points and you’ll be on your way to leading yourself first and then leading and influencing the many thousands your life will touch.
ACTION
TODAY: What’s on your schedule? Do you have any regularly scheduled activities that require self-discipline? Say, exercising, eating healthy, making time for yourself, for your family, for fun, saving money for retirement… all of those things are easy to forego when we have too much on our plate, but they are important and require self-discipline. Check your calendar and focus on the benefits of these activities and habits.
FUTURE: As you plan your calendar daily, weekly, monthly, etc., include self-discipline activities to help you reach your goals. Don’t give up on them! Make them a habit. Be consistent. Remember to lead yourself first and don’t let yourself off the hook.
Know someone who needs to build self-discipline? Please share this post with that person via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!