The Existers don’t really plan out their life – and if they do, it’s done haphazardly. They certainly don’t manage their life and rarely operate with urgency – goal failure is the norm. They have a difficult time motivating themselves. If that’s not enough time flushed down the porcelain bowl – it gets worse on the weekend. The weekend is wide open: it starts by lounging around in bed and it goes downhill from there. 

A high percentage of these Existers are in severe debt. Now there’s a shocking bit of news…. 

LIVING Life with Discipline 

What does that mean? It means the following: 

• Being in complete control of your actions 
• Accomplishing your goals 
• Your mind is trained to hold yourself accountable and to operate with urgency 

• Believing and practicing that every minute (not hour) is precious – practicing efficient time management 
• Always striving to improve 
• Living a balanced lifestyle 
• Being financially secure 
• Managing setbacks effectively 

So, ask yourself why not LIVE? Is it difficult to acquire discipline? Sure, it is! It starts with adopting my 10 Commandments of Discipline: 

1. Thou shall train your mind 

1. Hold yourself accountable 

2. Operate with urgency every day of the year 

2. Thou shall focus on your EQ 

1. Manage your emotions 

2. Effectively communicating sensitive issues with highly emotional individuals  

3. Maintaining an even-keel demeanor 

3. Thou shall focus on setting and managing goals 

1. Tired of failure—Improve your odds for success 

4. Thou shall not procrastinate and waste time 

1. Institute structure your life to be more efficient 

2. Curtail technology usage  

5. Thou shall manage sleep 

1. Stop lounging around in bed and wake up with a purpose? 

6. Thou shall manage health 

1. How do you maintain a healthy regimen (exercise and meal management)  

7. Thou shall manage your career and/or business 

1. Get the most out of your professional world 

8. Thou shall focus on finances 

1. Manage every aspect of your finances or pay in the end  

9. Thou shall manage relationships 

1. With your hectic schedule how do you maintain key relationships (God, family, spouse, etc.) 

10. Thou shall continuously strategize 

1. Always try to improve to become more productive 

The post Exist or Live appeared first on Discipline Mentor.

Time is sacred, precious and very scarce. Train your mind to think differently about time. Train your mind to instill a sense of urgency. The most effective way to do that is to make your mind believe that something catastrophic will happen. Make it believe that your life will expire sooner than later (i.e., you have a limited time left on this planet).  

Over three decades ago when I was a teenager, I actually convinced myself (by training my mind) that my life would end at the age of 40. I constantly repeated the phrase: “I’m going to die at the age of 40.” I repeated this a dozen times each day until I actually started believing it. I must have been a very good actor – eventually, I was obsessing that I would die at that age.  

I know this may sound morbid but I wanted to give myself a deadline to complete my major goals as quickly as possible. I also wanted to leave behind a legacy for my future kids. I’ve seen too many elderly people who had given up on their dreams; too many people with regrets I didn’t want to be another statistic. I pushed and pushed HARD.  

Once I believed it, I started living life with a sense of urgency. I was very focused and lived life by my priorities. Did it work? And how…I met all of my major goals by the age of 38 and I am now 65 and still very productive. 

I’m not saying to take it to this extreme, however, this is your life and none of us know how much time we have. So use your time wisely and abhor waste.  

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There is no greater feeling in the world than accomplishing a major goal. Once you complete a goal you will never forget it. It’s hard to describe in mere words what the feeling is like. It’s a kind of euphoria that not only makes you feel invincible but is extremely addictive as well. 

The level of intensity is relative to the difficulty of the goal. The harder the goal, the stronger the “feeling of accomplishment” will be. You can take my word for it. I still remember each and every goal, even the ones I accomplished over 30 years ago. 

To me, life is about accomplishments and feeling on top of the world each time you achieve one. What a rush, one after another, like no other feeling. Those are REAL highs. 

It’s a self-inflicted adrenaline rush that you can’t get out of your system once you’ve experienced it. The more you accomplish, the more you crave more accomplishments for yourself. You will never be satisfied. 

What a feeling it is to always want more and have that hunger to take on new challenges, to accomplish more year after year. Life now has a purpose. You don’t need to worry about boredom. Discipline opens the door to accomplishments and greatness. 

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If I cross the street tomorrow and get run over by my “truck of death” it’s not enough that the people I’ve mentored in discipline will have something for the rest of their lives to remember me by.  It’s not enough that I’ve made my kids, friends, colleagues and clients productive or that I’ve helped them to help themselves become successful, etc.  I want more!  I want to have a major impact on people that I’ve never met before. I want to be remembered by one word and that’s DISCIPLINE. Many people need guidance to make the most out of their existence. I want them to turn to discipline now and even when I’m long gone.  

Right now, the word discipline is rarely used at home or at the office. The most common place you hear it is when professional athletes are in rigorous training or occasionally at the gym amongst some hard-core bodybuilders. Mentioned elsewhere it is usually in the context of “old school” discipline. That’s because it used to be a requirement for everyday survival in the “old days”, but society has changed so rapidly that we have lost sight of this gem. To me, discipline means much more than just survival. Discipline is the catalyst for success. 

I feel that discipline should be taught at home to every child. Actually “teaching” a child is probably the wrong word, you would teach your kids about the facts of life or about manners at the dinner table, etc. Mentoring children on the importance of discipline at a young age is the best gift a parent can give to their son or daughter.  

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Excuse#1: I’m tired I’ll just stay in bed for another 10 minutes… 

Tell yourself repeatedly:  

• Another 10 minutes every day add up to many days of your life flushed away. 
• If you’re exhausted another 10 minutes of sleep will not help.  
• If I lounge around in bed today, I will do the same thing tomorrow. 

Excuse #2: I need to sleep a few extra hours – I don’t want to feel tired later in the afternoon. 

• It’s all about how productive you can be NOW. We all get tired later in the day after putting in a hard day of work. You’re always going to be more energetic and more creative at the beginning of your workday.  
• Take a quick 10-20-minute power nap later in the day. Power naps are very effective. Just a quick snooze and you’ll get a second wind. 
• Do some sort of physical activity. Something light to get the blood flowing – I’m not talking about a major workout.  

• If you work from home then get up from in front of that computer and clean something – perhaps the kitchen (put the dishes away) or organize your office. If you don’t feel like cleaning – take a walk around the block.  

• If you work at an office building then get up and take a quick walk around the building – perhaps return some of your voicemails while walking to utilize your time efficiently. This serves several purposes: gets the blood flowing to wake you up and burns a few extra calories.  

Excuse #3: It’s cold outside – I don’t want to get out of this warm bed to exercise. 

• Simplify your morning routine. Go to bed with your clean workout clothes on. It’s much easier than having to get up and change into your workout clothes especially when it’s cold or raining outside. 
• Set multiple alarm clocks. Keep one of them far away from the bed so you will have to get up to turn it off. 

Excuse #4: I need more sleep – 5 hours wasn’t enough last night. I need at least 8 hours of sleep a night or I will be prone to becoming sick more frequently.  

• There is no medical data that suggests not getting ample sleep for 1 or 2 nights will cause you to get sick more often. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends for over 3 decades – I don’t get sick more than the average person (I-2 colds a year). 

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Live Like You are Dying  

About 40 years ago I actually convinced myself by continuously playing mind games (repeating phrases that impacted me in a big way) that my life would end at the age of 40. I would repeat the phrase dozens of times each day “I’m going to die at the age of 40.” I wasn’t trying to be negative. I wanted more accomplishments – and I knew I was capable of doing more. I know this may sound a bit weird and morbid but I wanted to give myself a deadline. I’d seen too many older people who had given up on their dreams; too many people with regrets. I didn’t want to be one of them.  I pushed and pushed HARD. I wanted to accomplish my major goals before my 40th birthday. 

I actually accomplished them at the age of 38. I’m not saying to take it to this extreme, however, this is your life and none of us know how much time we have. So, use your time wisely and abhor waste.  

Creating a sense of urgency in yourself allows you to draw upon greater resources. Think for a moment. It is a necessity that gets your mind working. Remember that saying “necessity is the mother of invention?” We all can accomplish miracles when we feel strongly.  

If things are too comfortable for us, we tend to coast along, forgetting that time is passing; oblivious to the fact we are not accomplishing our goals. We get distracted. We complain about our food not being cooked right. We obsess over whether we made the right decision or not.  

It is the sense of urgency that allows us to tap into resources we didn’t even realize we had. How many times have you seen in a sporting event an athlete performing a “miracle”, or a rescue worker such as a fireman going back into a burning building to rescue someone?  

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Do pretty much the same thing every day with some modifications (i.e., work emergency, weekend schedule vs. weekday, the days you must pick up the kids from school vs. the days you don’t, family emergencies, etc.). But what about weekends, holidays and vacations?

Every Day? Really?
How can every day be treated the same? It would be ludicrous to put forth the same effort seven days a week – everyone needs a break to recharge, besides I’m not suggesting for you to be a workaholic 7 days a week → just focus on your priorities first every day.

What if you don’t want to do anything on Sundays but relax and watch TV? It’s simple – just plan and put a bit more effort into your priorities throughout the week or on Saturday. Don’t just live your week by the seat of your pants – plan it out thoroughly. Be efficient with your time and utilize every minute so then you can feel totally free to goof off and relax; have fun. 

Wake up thinking about your priorities first. That means to focus on the tasks and obligations associated with your finances, career, health and relationships at the start of each day (if possible), throughout the day and when you go to bed each evening. I consider these to be the most important priorities to live a successful life. The objective is to get into a routine so focusing on your priorities becomes habitual (i.e., when you wake up, throughout the day and before you go to sleep). You want to program your mind so that your actions achieve your goals. Eventually your mind will be trained, and you will be functioning as if it were on auto-pilot. 

I can hear the internal flack now: “That’s utterly ridiculous, there’s more to life than just thinking about your priorities.”, or “Does that mean I have to work all the time?” or “I can think about what I want to think about!” Or, “I am tired and hurting why should I continue to torture my body, may be tomorrow.”

These are all protests from your mind fighting for control. Your mind is used to having no control, sort of like a spoiled child. So of course, it is going to give you a hard time and try to throw you off. All I’m saying is for you to take control of your mind. Focus on your priorities which should include tasks associated with your goals and important obligations. The payoff will be that you’re productive and accomplish your goals. 

Follow Your ‘To-Do’ List
A ‘to-do’ list should be prepared at the end of your work day or that evening before going to bed. Get in the habit of doing this religiously every evening. Have it with you wherever you go. Document your personal and professional tasks, obligations, errands, etc. As new things come up throughout the day -put them on your ‘to-do’ list. 

Adhere to Your Routine
Treating every day equally also means adhering to an efficient routine every day, which promotes your priorities. That doesn’t mean all work and no play it just means being efficient with your time so you can do more with less resources and still have plenty of extra time for play (however you define play time). Following a routine is a huge success factor for training your mind to hold you accountable.

Exercise Every Day
When treating every day equally, exercise daily! I would consider everything below exercise:

• Go to the gym a few days a week
• Go for a hike another day
• Wash the car another day
• Walk around the block another day
• Clean your apartment another day, etc.

By treating everyday equally, you begin to maintain good health habits.

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Maybe you remember when you were a little kid and it was your first day at school. You probably couldn’t wait until that day came and you woke up with a feeling of excitement and a big smile on your face or maybe you had this same feeling when you traveled to your first foreign country. Think of how life could be if you woke up with a similar feeling every morning. 

Get structured and have that to-do list ready to go every morning (7 days a week). Know exactly which projects (associated with work), tasks (associated with your goals), and family-related obligations need to get done. Be prepared and be productive all day! 

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You know it’s going to come one day so why not prepare for it. Why not condition your mind for the inevitable (i.e., emergencies that WILL happen, unrealistic deadlines that pop up out of nowhere, etc.)? It happens all the time you just don’t know when…Your only recourse is to train your mind to complete everything before its due date so you have some cushion (resources) left over for the unexpected. In other words, constantly put pressure on yourself in order to be prepared for whatever is thrown your way. 

The process to train your mind is very simple. Establish phrases and you constantly repeat them until your mind actually believes in what you’re saying and it goes on auto-pilot. When repeating phrases, you need to give it all you can. You need to put your heart and soul into it – as if you were an academy award-winning actor standing in front of the mirror rehearsing your lines for a big part in a movie. You would rehearse your lines over and over again until you memorized them and transformed yourself into that character. 

I did something similar to train my mind. I used the phrases below to instill a sense of urgency mentality into everything I was doing. I would tell myself repeatedly: 

• Meeting my project’s due date is a failure. Beating my project due date is an accomplishment.   
• I must ALWAYS be ahead of schedule. 
• There are no excuses for missing a due date (not even emergencies). Emergencies should be factored into my timeline. 

…And most importantly make up your own phrases. These resonate with me but everyone is different. Which phrases will have an impact on your life? 

Once your mind is trained it won’t matter what others try and throw on your plate – you’ll always be one step ahead of them – bring it on. The pressures from the outside world will have no impact on you because you answer to yourself. 

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I can’t imagine not accomplishing one goal after another (major and minor) until the day I drop. If there are no accomplishments, there is no life, or at best it’s an unfulfilled life. There is no purpose for living. You may exist, but that’s not living. Living is progressing, not merely breathing.  

The more you accomplish in a 24-hour period the more satisfied you’ll be at the end of the day. The secret is to stay hungry and never be completely satisfied, which will be easy once you attain the highest level of discipline. The best thing you can do is to keep piling up those tasks as long as they’re meaningful. The more tasks you have on your plate the hungrier you will be, and complete satisfaction will be a figment of your imagination. 

It’s important not to become a workaholic in pursuit of your many accomplishments. No one lying on their deathbed regrets not having spent more time at work. The true measure of a person’s success and happiness is their emotional, physical and psychological well-being. What I’m saying is to never be satisfied with the level of happiness you’ve attained. There are always areas in our lives that need attention to keep the balance consistent. Being happy in all aspects of your life is the mother of all accomplishments.  Don’t settle.  If you must, remember to always settle for more.  

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