Mastering Self Discipline,

A Guide for business owners

David Goggins, the embodiment of unwavering resolve and fortitude, stands as a beacon illuminating what one can achieve with an indomitable spirit of self discipline. His concept of “callusing the mind,” akin to hardening one’s mental resilience through exposure to hardship and challenge, offers a unique perspective and an inspiring framework for business owners striving to ascend beyond mediocrity.

Transitioning from being just a business person to truly owning your business requires the cultivation of this tenacious discipline that Goggins so ardently exemplifies. The journey may seem daunting, but it is this vital trait that delineates thriving enterprises from those that just manage to scrape by. The time to step up is now.

Delve with us into this exploration of self-discipline, a master key that unlocks untapped potential, and learn how to harness its power as a business owner. Embrace the Goggins way and create a paradigm shift in your business landscape. You’re not merely surviving; you’re destined to thrive. Let’s embark on this transformative journey together.

Stay Hard in Business

Self-discipline, the crucial underpinning of any pursuit, is far more than a concept; it is a lifestyle to adopt and a character trait to embrace. It kick-starts with the formulation of clear, concise goals, whether they pertain to the day’s tasks or your grand vision. This clarity is a light that cuts through the fog of uncertainty, providing a tangible roadmap to guide your entrepreneurial voyage.

When crafting your objectives, let them be both aspirational and achievable, serving as motivational lighthouses. Reflect on your goals daily, ingraining them into your psyche, becoming intimately acquainted with the journey you must undertake to attain them. Challenge yourself: Are your goals stretching your capabilities or merely echoing your comfort zone?

David Goggins’ mantra, “Stay hard,” is a battle cry for an uncompromising commitment to your goals. This is a call to hold firm to your path, come what may. When faced with a daunting challenge, do you retreat, or do you dig your heels in, eyes firmly locked on your objectives? When the days grow long, and weariness seeps in, do you crumble, or do you summon the fortitude to press on, embodying Goggins’ “Stay hard” ethos?

Your ability to adhere relentlessly to your ambitions, irrespective of the hurdles, is a litmus test of your self-discipline. The journey towards greater self-discipline calls you not to merely react to the adversities but to act in defiance of them, forging ahead, unwavering and resolute. It’s time to rise, not just as a business person, but as a business owner, fuelled by the formidable power of self-discipline.

Consistency is key

Jim Rohn’s wise words on the virtues of self-discipline and self-control resound here. He recognised that these were not mere practices, but the crucible in which greatness of character is forged. Consistency is key, as your everyday acts of self discipline and control shape the very fabric of your being, engraving indelible marks of strength, determination, and resilience.

In relation to a business owner, this evolution through self discipline is a transformative journey from the realm of dreams into the world of reality. It’s an inner metamorphosis that reflects in your external environment. As you consistently conquer the battleground of self discipline, you will find that the person who once dreamed of success and the person who has attained it has become one.

When you look in the mirror, the reflection staring back will not just be that of a business person, but of a business owner, a leader, a visionary who dared to embrace self discipline, not as an obligation, but as a path to personal greatness. The narrative of your business becomes intrinsically intertwined with your personal journey, your metamorphosis powered by an unyielding commitment to self discipline.

Time to Stack Habits!

James Clear, in his influential work “Atomic Habits”, illustrates the transformative power of minor behavioural adjustments stacked together. He advocates a strategy known as habit stacking, which is a key strategy for building self discipline.

Habit stacking, as Clear explains, is a mechanism of coupling a new habit with an established one, thereby fostering a symbiotic relationship that ensures the continuity and consistency of the new behaviour. This strategy leverages the strength of existing habits as a foundation upon which to construct new ones, much like adding new blocks to a well-established tower.

Consider the impact of incorporating a business performance review into your established morning ritual of enjoying a cup of coffee. The act of brewing and sipping your coffee, already ingrained in your routine, becomes the trigger for your business review. The intertwining of these habits essentially ties the cognitive stimulation of the business review to the sensory experience of your morning coffee. This connection not only primes your mind for the day ahead but also fortifies the discipline of continual performance assessment.

In the grand scheme of things, this might appear as a minor adjustment, an atomic habit. Yet, as Clear profoundly points out, it’s these minute changes, these atomic habits, that compound over time to manifest substantial progress. They transform you from a business person, lost in the labyrinth of tasks, into a strategic business owner, steering your venture with self discipline and clarity.

So, start stacking your habits atomically, and witness the transformation that unfolds. Self discipline is not a distant shore; it’s a journey embarked upon one atomic habit at a time.

Not sure where to start…

1. Morning Analysis with Coffee: As you savour your morning coffee, delve into the analysis of your business performance, setting the tone for a proactive day.
2. Mindful Eating with Market Research: Use your lunch break not only to nourish your body but also to feed your mind. Read up on the latest market trends or industry news as you eat.
3. Daily Exercise with Learning: As you go for your daily run or visit the gym, listen to an educational podcast or an audiobook related to your business field.
4. Inbox Cleaning with Task Prioritisation: As you clear your inbox each morning, make it a habit to prioritise your tasks for the day. This will give you a clear overview of your responsibilities and help avoid overwhelm.
5. Team Check-ins with Office Arrival: Use your arrival at the office as a cue to check in with your team. This habit not only keeps you connected but also shows your team that you’re invested in their work.
6. End-of-day Review with Commute Home: Utilise your commute home to review the day’s achievements and challenges, reflecting on what went well and what could be improved.
7. Networking with Leisure Activities: If you regularly attend leisure activities like sports events or book clubs, use these as opportunities to network. This habit can help you forge new business relationships in a relaxed setting.
8. Budget Review with Bill Payments: When you sit down to pay your bills, use this time to review your business budget, assess financial performance, and plan for future expenses.

Measure Performance

The practice of measuring performance is a keystone of self discipline in business. It is akin to a mirror, offering an unflinching reflection of your business health, showcasing your victories and highlighting your weaknesses. It’s a potent tool that, when wielded with self discipline, guides your venture towards its strategic objectives.

Performance metrics are your compass in the expansive ocean of business. They are quantifiable entities; sales numbers, customer satisfaction scores, and employee productivity rates, all of which furnish concrete evidence of your progress. Regularly recording and reviewing these metrics instils a culture of discipline, tethering your actions to your goals and serving as a constant reminder of your destination.

Think of this practice as a consistent heartbeat monitoring the vitality of your business. It encourages a disciplined approach to continual improvement, pushing you to constantly question your status quo. What’s working well? What needs refining? Where is there untapped potential?

However, while the numbers are crucial, they should not eclipse the importance of celebrating small victories. These are your milestones, markers on your journey that deserve acknowledgement. Perhaps it’s a sales target achieved, an employee performance peak, or a spike in customer satisfaction – these victories, no matter how small, are proof of your disciplined efforts bearing fruit.

But, echoing the ethos of David Goggins, stay hard, stay hungry. Celebrate your milestones, but do not rest on them. Use them as fuel to propel you forward, to strive for greater heights. Let the satisfaction of a victory be swiftly followed by the thrill of a new challenge.

Embrace this balance of disciplined performance measurement and the celebration of victories. Together, they create a cycle of continuous improvement, driving your business forward with unyielding momentum. As a business owner, your journey to self discipline is one where you measure, improve, celebrate, and then press on, always hungry for the next level of success.

Who Holds You to Account?

Accountability, the vigilant sentinel of self discipline, plays a pivotal role in your journey as a business owner. Embracing accountability is like placing a guiding hand on your shoulder, ensuring you remain on the path towards your objectives, while gently steering you back when you sway off-course.

Mentors and coaches can serve as valuable accountability partners. Their experience and insights become your compass, guiding your actions and strategies. They keep you aligned with your goals, offering perspective when you’re too entangled in the daily operations to see the bigger picture. The constructive criticism and vital feedback they provide help you refine your strategies and cultivate a mindset geared towards growth and success.

However, while external accountability is invaluable, it’s equally, if not more, important to hold yourself accountable. As David Goggins highlights, self-accountability is the bedrock upon which your self discipline is built. You have to be the stringent auditor of your own actions, and simultaneously, your own source of motivation and inspiration.

With self-accountability, you become your toughest critic, viewing your actions through an uncompromising lens, ready to acknowledge missteps and rectify them. At the same time, you are also your biggest cheerleader, acknowledging your achievements, however small, and using them as fuel for future endeavours.

So, as a business owner striving to harness the power of self discipline, invite accountability into your journey. Let it be both an external guide and an internal compass, helping you navigate the exhilarating, challenging, and rewarding landscape of entrepreneurship. Remember, it’s through accountability that the essence of self-discipline truly comes alive.

Let’s get Started…

Fuelled by self discipline, the path to success requires a steadfast commitment to action. It’s about embracing a journey that begins the moment you finish reading these words and continues each day, with every choice you make. The cornerstone of self-discipline is consistency; it’s not about monumental, one-off actions, but rather a series of small, consistent steps that snowball into significant change. As David Goggins, the epitome of self-discipline, rightly asserted, the hardest boundaries to break often reside within our minds. So, break free and embrace the journey.

Your 21-Day Kick-Start Action Plan to Self-Discipline:

Day 1: Start with a clear focus on your short-term and long-term business goals. Adopt the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) criteria to shape these goals.

Day 2: Begin the practice of visualisation. Take a few minutes each day to vividly picture yourself achieving your business goals.

Day 3: Write down your goals and the reasons they’re important to you. This will serve as a motivating reminder when challenges arise.

Day 4: Identify your daily routines that could serve as anchors for new habits.

Day 5: Choose a new, discipline-enhancing habit and start integrating it into one of your established routines, hence beginning the practice of habit stacking.

Day 6: Add another habit to your habit stacking. Choose a different routine this time, gradually widening the scope of your self discipline. You’ll also start to see new opportunities.

Day 7: Reflect on your progress. Assess the integration of new habits into your routines and make any necessary adjustments.

Day 8: Identify potential mentors or coaches in your business sphere who could serve as accountability partners.

Day 9: Reach out to the potential accountability partner you’ve identified. Share your goals with them and give them permission to hold you accountable.

Day 10: Take time to acknowledge your progress. Celebrate the fact that you’ve made it a third of the way through this challenge.

Day 11: Establish a system for tracking your business performance. Identify key metrics that reflect the health of your business.

Day 12: Begin the practice of daily performance tracking. As you review these metrics, consider what they reveal about your business.

Day 13: Enhance your habit stacking by integrating performance tracking into one of your daily routines.

Day 14: Reflect on your progress with your accountability partner. Discuss the challenges you’ve faced and the victories you’ve achieved.

Day 15: Acknowledge your progress. You’re now more than two-thirds of the way through the challenge.

Day 16: Revisit your business goals. With the insights gained from performance tracking, adjust these goals if necessary.

Day 17: Identify any areas of resistance or procrastination in your business operations. Recognise these as opportunities for increased self discipline.

Day 18: Choose one area identified yesterday and commit to addressing it. Formulate a plan and act on it.

Day 19: Take time to appreciate the discipline you’ve shown in tackling areas of resistance. Acknowledge the growth this represents.

Day 20: Reflect on the habits you’ve formed over the course of this challenge. Consider how they’ve impacted your business operations and your personal development.

Day 21: On the final day, celebrate your progress. You’ve completed the 21-day challenge and taken significant strides in enhancing your self discipline.

Remember, this 21-day challenge is just the beginning. The true journey lies in applying the practices you’ve learned, consistently and consciously, in the pursuit of your business goals. Ready to start the challenge?

Do you need accountability and seek to unlock your potential? Schedule a complimentary coaching session to see what you could achieve:

Check out more business support and ideas on our YouTube channel:

References:

David Goggins – You Can’t Hurt Me

James Clear – Atomic habits