It’s been raining for days here where I live. The rain has been relentless, letting up only occasionally for a short while before resuming again. Everywhere I go, most of the people whom I talk to about the weather comment on how it feels like a good day to stay home and in bed. And I couldn’t agree with them more. The skies are dark. Rain is constantly drumming on the roof. Temperatures are cooler. The weather is the perfect recipe to inspire putting on sweatpants and climbing into bed with a good book.
Days like these that I have to remind myself that I am disciplined to still accomplish my goals, despite the weather. Yes, I take days off – whether inspired by the weather or some other reason – but I try to first push myself to continue to do the behavior that gets me towards my goals.
I wrote a post before talking about how we won’t always be motivated to accomplish our goals, and that’s where discipline kicks in. You can read that full post here. I’ve been thinking a lot about discipline these past few days as the weather has attempted to lure me back to bed each day. On several occasions, in several areas, I have had to remind myself that I am disciplined enough to follow through on my goals, even when I don’t want to. Especially when I don’t want to.
For example, one of my goals is to exercise for 45 minutes every day. The exercise can be a walk or a run or a lifting session at the gym – I haven’t defined what the 45 minutes have to look like, only that I am committed to doing them. I can go hard, or I can take it easy – I just have to get moving.
Do I want to always workout? Absolutely not. Especially not during this gloomy weather. But do I remind myself I am disciplined enough to accomplish that task, even if my “want to” is lacking? Yes. And do I listen to my push for discipline and go to the gym or go outside and walk anyway? Most days, yes.
There is always going to be a day when I have a legitimate reason to pause in the pursuit of my goals. I have to listen to my body. I have to listen to my emotions. I have to acknowledge that some days my mental health is lacking. But when I’ve taken an honest inventory of myself and decided that, yes, I can fulfill my commitment to my goals, just for that day, then discipline kicks in and I do the damn thing.
It is not always pretty. And I don’t always enjoy it. But I do feel proud of myself for accomplishing whatever task I set out to do.
Some questions to ask yourself:
- What are some of your goals?
- How are you currently doing to have discipline to accomplish those goals?
- Do you let lack of motivation win out, or are you able to stay disciplined?
- What can you do to be more disciplined?
Until Next Time,
Jeri Austin
A Growth Mindset 
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