The following are my favorite quotes from Daniel Walter's The Power of Discipline: How to Use Self Control and Mental Toughness to Achieve Your Goals.
- The best way to build self-discipline is to remove yourself from temptation. For example, if you are struggling with your diet, replace your cupboard of unhealthy foods with healthy choices and meals. When you go grocery shopping, stay away from the aisles selling sweet treats and immediately make your way to the aisles stocking healthy foods. By using these strategies, your willpower is only tested during the time you spend in the store, as opposed to trying to resist the temptation to eat your stash of cookies in the cupboard every evening over and over again.
- Your level of self-discipline will control your level of success in your place of employment, relationships, finances, academics, etc.
- Inactivity leads to one place--failure.
- A self-disciplined person is confident because, regardless of where they are at the moment, they know that they are the best version of themselves. They are eating properly, exercising, and working towards their goals. They feel good about life because they are in the driver's seat, and they know exactly where they are going.
- People shouldn't be afraid of failure; they should be scared of regret. The feeling of looking back on your life and wondering "What if..." will torment you worse than the feeling of having tried and failed.
- There is only one difference between successful and unsuccessful people, and that is the habits they follow each day.
- Bad habits are developed by failing to do the most important things in the morning.
- The core of self-discipline is doing what you need to do whether you feel like it or not. Inaction and making excuses and identical twins; there is no difference between them because they both lead to the same destination--failure. If you are going to wait until the conditions are just right, you've already lost the battle because when you want to something, you are not stepping out of your comfort zone.
- If you want to win in life, forget about focusing on the outcome, focus on the system you are going to use to get to the outcome.
- One of the most helpful things you can do right now on your journey to improved self-discipline is to remove the word "try" from your vocabulary. This minor change will transform the way you see yourself and boost your self-esteem. The way you think is not the only thing that shapes your life. Your words have power whether you say them out loud or in your head--they influence the way you see yourself and how far you succeed.
- There is no escape from pain and suffering, and this is also true when it comes to achieving your dreams. If you are going to achieve anything worthwhile in life, you will need to give up something.
- Top performers fail all the time, but they understand that all they need is a couple of major successes to set them up for life--the same principle applies to you too.
- Your life is a reflection of the decisions you have made, and if you want a better future, it's essential that you start making better decisions.
