This was originally a guest post on Wonder Forest.
It’s the little things, right? That’s what people say, yet so often we don’t truly recognize the value of the seemingly small things we do everyday. When you have ambitious goals and lofty aims it can be easy to get discouraged or to feel overwhelmed. However, when it comes right down to it, the disciplines we establish in our routines are what will lead us to success.
Photo credit: Ally Marcino |
Let me explain what I mean. I struggle with accounting; like sit in front of my homework for hours on end in complete confusion, sort of struggle. Clearly, something needed to change in how I prepped for class and exams or else I was doomed to fail (well, perhaps not fail, but certainly not perform to a high standard). I decided that since there was no chance I was going to wake up one morning and suddenly be able to understand debits, and credits, and journal entries, I was going to have to work towards it little by little each day.
So, I studied accounting for at least half an hour daily. Not a terribly difficult task but one that would obviously have positive results. As you would imagine it became much easier for me to do my homework and perform well in class because I was continually working on my understanding and mastery of the subject.
This is all well and good of course, but why don’t we take advantage of the power of everyday disciplines? If it is easy to engage in activities which will improve ourselves, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or reading a little bit each night, then why do make excuses and convince ourselves that we don’t REALLY need to do it today?
There is no truly good answer! What separates the people who are moving closer to achieving their goals and making a positive impact on their lives, and those who find themselves perpetually stuck and not meeting their own expectations is discipline. If that is the case and we acknowledge that to make strides towards our goals we require everyday discipline, how do we go about working it into our routines?
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