For most of us, the idea of discipline in life causes resistance: “What about freedom, spontaneity, and sudden impulses?”. In this article, we are not going to convince you to give up your freedom and become a strict rule-follower. Instead, we want to share with you some helpful tips on how to practice conscious discipline.
Conscious discipline is a self-management tool for those whose life has become a little chaotic. If you want to make some changes in your life and make it more enjoyable and meaningful, and, at the same time, to reduce the number of “unpleasant surprises”/negative accidents that ruin your peace, then conscious discipline is your go-to habit!
Why Do I Need Conscious Discipline?
Conscious discipline is the #1 skill of happy and successful people that enjoy a meaningful life! It helps you to reduce the risk of unexpected negative events and thus lower your stress level. When you organize your life the way you want it to be you make it less stressful and much happier.
If you want to make a difference in your life, try to introduce conscious discipline into at least one area of your life, and then you’ll be able to organize others.
8 Tips For Conscious Discipline
If your life has become a little chaotic and uncontrollable, try the following tips.
#1: Set financial goals
Unfortunately, most of us are not very smart about our income and expenses. The financial situation is one of the main reasons people are stressed about. And when we are stressed we can’t make rational decisions.
Therefore it is so important to plan a monthly budget. Write down your planned monthly income and what you need to spend money on, and how much you need to save for the future. You can create a separate notebook for your personal “accounting”.
When you make a habit of planning your financial goals for the month, you will see that life becomes so less stressful and you have one less thing to worry about.
#2: Reduce alcohol, coffee, and sugar
Instead of completely excluding these products, you can start by taking them into strict accounting and control. See how this will affect the state of your body and mental health. Perhaps, over time, these products will leave your life for good.
#3: Keep your living space clean
The cleanliness of the house contributes to calmness and concentration. Don’t let your messy house distract you from your brilliant ideas. The more organized your home is, the easier it becomes for you to organize your life and manifest your goals!
#4: Spend time outdoors
It is important to go for walks, get out into nature, and breathe fresh air. Try to leave the house more often — take a lunch break in the park or walk outside before going to bed. Even if you work from home, make a habit to get out of the house every day!
#5: Restrict watching TV series and playing video games
Sometimes we need this kind of entertainment to distract us from work and allow us to relax. But think about whether you are trying to escape from your life and responsibilities into the world of games, TV series, and tabloid stories. If you feel like you spend more time on Netflix and gaming more than you probably should of, try to start reading more. By focusing on reading a book you will gradually get rid of destructive TV addiction and will start understanding yourself better.
#6: Communicate with others
Interaction with others is one of the most important parts of our life. Communication is a basic necessity for a meaningful life that helps us evolve. Make sure you always make time to reach out to people, check in on them, and spend more time with your friends and family.
#7: Develop the courage to make your plans come to a realization
We all have a million of ideas in our heads about what direction our life should go. And most of us know exactly what we need to do to accomplish our goals. Our biggest obstacle is the lack of courage and an excess of doubt.
You know you just need to go to your boss and ask for a well-deserved promotion, right? But your self-doubt stops you. Or maybe your dream is to work for that company and all you need to do is to send your resume? But you keep postponing it again and again. Conscious discipline is doing what you supposed to do for accomplishing your goals despite all the doubts and fears in your head.
If you’ve been waiting for another sign, here it is – send that resume; go to that audition; ask for that promotion; go on that date; reach out to that person; do whatever you need to do to live your purpose NOW! Stop postponing and making excuses!
#8: Treat others with kindness, compassion, and respect
Start monitoring your communication style. What we give to the world returns to us doubled! Try to give what you would like to get in return — positive vibes, support, compliments, kindness, compassion, love, etc.
We live in an era of opinions. Everyone wants to be heard and express their opinions. And you are, probably, not an exception! Let me give you one simple bit of advice – before you start talking, pause for a moment, and ask yourself these 3 questions:
- Is it true?
- Is it necessary?
- Is it kind?
Mindful speech is one of the most important tools of conscious discipline. The goal of the mindful speech is to be more conscious of the words we choose to express our thoughts. Being mindful about speech simply means slowing down and choosing our words with care.
The Bottom Line
Discipline is about putting things in order in different areas of our lives, from finances to relationships. But don’t put too much pressure on yourself! Take it easy! We should always find space for spontaneousness and fun in our lives!