Does Self-Discipline Have to be Painful?

Self-discipline is hard work no matter what task you are applying it to. It takes retraining our minds to go in another direction. It takes us out of our comfort zones and requires giving up certain things to accomplish our goals.

Take this blog, for instance. I made the decision to write about things God was showing me about myself in the hopes it would help someone else. I committed to a weekly post and I have let myself and my blog down a few times by skipping a week. So I am sharing a few parameters I am applying to myself to become more consistent in writing, as well as other areas of my life. 

To become more disciplined we need to:

1. Make a commitment to the task. Whatever it is, decide how much we will do. If it is exercise,
 will it be 3 days a week, or every day?

2. Do it on a regular time basis. Will I work on this task in the morning? What time and how long?

3. Keep a record of  accomplishments. If it is cleaning out closets or the attic, mark it off the list so we can see what has been done.

4.. Unless it is an emergency, don't let anything else interfere with keeping the commitment.

5. If we do have to miss sometimes, it shouldn't encourage slackness in our discipline.

6. And above all, we shouldn't allow self-condemnation to infiltrate our thinking when we aren't perfect in our commitments.

These are a few suggestions to help keep us on track in whatever our goals are.

What works for you? Share your ideas and add to this list.