Why You Need Discipline to Achieve Your Goals

[Greek_God]

I want to start this off by saying I get into arguments often here, and call dumb people fucktards and so on, so I thought it would be nice for a change to be good, and actually share a valuable lesson life taught me.

Positivity and motivation are bullshit.

Yes, you read it correctly. Everybody says "think positively, find motivation", but its a pile of crap. Thoughts do not affect reality unless you act on them, and motivation is like a part of the road going downhill. Yes, its easier to drive there, the gravity does some work, however you never turn off your car on a downhill road and expect the gravity alone to bring you to your goal. Driving is neccessary.

And people rely on motivation. Its the 1st of January and your New Year's resolution is to build muscle/lose fat. So you are super motivated, New Year, New Me. You go and work out. Its the 2nd now, you really dont feel like working out but you do it anyway, sticking to your resolution. The 3rd comes and you didn't get enough sleep so you decide you will skip today, if neccessary, you will put in extra effort tommorrow. By the 10th, you dont work out, and you gave up on your goal.

What you did was push your car downhill, when it stopped, you pushed the gas pedal once, it took you a bit further, but stopped again. Still, you didn't reach your destination and you ever will.

So what's the answer? Discipline.

Well what is discipline in this context?

Discipline means, set your goal, break it down into tiny daily or weekly goaks, and work on them every day. I don't care if you are tired, hungry, cold, wet, whatever. Those are excuses. You know it, deep down. As long as you are physically capable of doing things, you do them. A broken leg is a legit reason to take the day off. Feeling tired or unwilling is NOT. Laziness, procrastination, tired feelings and every similar thing don't get a vote.

And every person knows this. Very rarely you will encounter a person that doesn't know what they want and how they want to be in life. Many of them even know what is neccessary to do, but its the hard way, and they look for an easy one.

The hard way is the ONLY way.

Of course, there is also this thing called the fear of failure. Which is a good thing. It drives you to take precautions and be prepared. But do you know what is a lot scarier than fear of failure? Waking up as a 60 year old and still having the same unachieved goals. Let that sink in for a minute...

The voice inside.

There is always going to be this inner voice thats going to say, at the first difficult thing, "you did your best. its not up to you anymore. you deserve a rest."

DON'T LISTEN TO IT.

You know, deep inside, when you are actually physically incapable of doing the thing. Everything else is horseshit. Be honest with yourself.

Simply, the proccess goes:

1. Be aware of your current situation

2. Be aware of where you want to be.

3. Find the best path to achieve your goal.

4. List the things that would lead you to your goal that you absolutely HATE and don't want to or think you can't do.

5. Do them first.

6. Do the rest if the work neccessary.

7. Accomplish your goal.

Yes it is that simple.

And there has never been a better time than RIGHT NOW. Don't wait for tomorrow, the first Monday or whatever to start. No. Right away. Put down your phone/computer. And make a step in the direction of your goal. Even the smallest step counts. Decide that every day from now on until you achieve your goal will contain at least ONE action towards your goal. No matter how bad you feel, each and every day do a thing.

Trust me, it pays to be a winner.

Thank you for your attention. Leave all your questions andbopinions in the comments below.

[GracefulCharm]

I agree with everything in this MyTake but there needed to more of a focus on goals. If your goals aren't strong enough. The motivation to get there just won't occur. Positive affirmations are also needed along the journey. I know for a fact, I could never have achieved as much in life without knowing I was on the right path.

But I do agree with accepting that the path to your goal will not be easy, and to agree to take it on no matter how hard is will be is crucial to getting there. Discipline can only be achieved by sticking to it and being committed. Many won't make it, because they aren't destined for greatness. Many don't have the heart to make it. Such is the laws of nature, not everyone is destined to be elite, even if everyone wants to be.

[Greek_God]

This is where we come to individual preferences. I personally never liked positive affirmations, and I always found them completely useless, but there are people (obviously you are one) who find them helpful. Either way, its the actions that matter, it doesn't matter what method you use to force yourself to get out of bed and do things, as long as you get out of bed and do things.

[GracefulCharm]

Positive affirmations might be a different definition for you than for me. A positive affirmation for me is something like someone accusing me of taking steroids after seeing my physique. This makes me feel positive because others consider my physique dramatically different than what I had before. I know myself I never took steroids and I know what I was and am doing is right in life.

Another positive affirmation is also when I was in prison, I just saw how many guys were flawed with their morals and how detrimental it was for their own lives. I'm talking about CO's and inmates. I had respect among men even tho I wasn't a gang leader and I know it was my morals. I know that I deserve to win and succeed in life, and now that I am out of prison. I feel like I can achieve any goal.

[Greek_God]

Then we are talking about entirely different things. When it comes to achieving goals, the term "positive affirmations" is used to describe that little pep talk you give to yourself, like "I can do this" or "I am awesome" or anything like that. While it does help some people motivate themselves, its a thing of personal preference, and not something you should count on to get you anywhere. That was my point. Actions are required, as long as you do whats neccessary, your thoughts aren't that much important, you can be negative but through action still achieve your goals. As for your positive affirmations, yes, that is always a satisfying feeling, of course

[GracefulCharm]

Did you know roman's used to burn cannabis as they took a bath. I work out multiple times a day and each is a 1hr session, I stay baked from the first session to the last while eating various foods between gym trips. This is the real secret to how to build muscle and be a true warrior. Cannabis must of been part of the garden of eden because all it does is help me grow.

Riding dirty with some outlaws,
Owe us money, and we will get it regardless if one of us falls.
They talk shit, that's gonna be their downfall.
My heart stays calm when it rip, automatic rounds in the drum circle like a ball.

[Djaay]

Geek_God... Prison society and free society are two very different anomalies. Your aspirations and energy's are distributed differently for different reasons. Your confidence level is usually greater outside than inside , and over confidence may be interpreted to be arrogance. Encouraging others to embrace confidence with discipline without some positive motivational standpoint is oxymoron.

[Greek_God]

@Djaay I honestly dont see how. I am explaining why discipline is neccessary for success. And motvation has nothing to do with duscipline, motivation is temporary and without discipline it will never help you achieve your goals. And there isn't a shortcut or easy way to discipline. You want to acquire discipline? Set your alarm on 5AM every day, and get up when your alarm rings, no matter how you feel. That is discipline. There is no easy or pleasent way to discipline. Discipline is the hard oath, the oath neccessary to achieve something. Positivity is a cheap story that is sold to unsuccessful people. If a person wants to achieve their goals, and they are ready, they will understand my point and start working on it. If it flies above their heads, they are obviously not ready for the whole journey. If success was easy, everybody would be successful

[GracefulCharm]

@Greek_God I co-sign on that exposition about discipline. It has to be achieved no matter what. It's a foundation for many things in life. Code, success, long term partnerships. All of these require discipline.

[Greek_God]

Exactly

[Djaay]

Discipline... is neccessary for maintaing success , not acquiring success. What motivated you to write a take today on discipline and display your positivity of such practice, yet turn a cheek on both and call b's on it? Yet being motivated to acquire the disepline needed using a positive attitude towards an achievement or goal of choice , may eventually render you as a success. But success isn't mirrored by the measurenent of discipline involed. It's considered cause and effect ; what is your objective , and what factors will achieve that objective. When you spin a roulette wheel , the outcomes are random , what happens on your first spin provides no clue what will happen on the next. So having a positive thought towards an achievement , an ambitious drive that executes through motivational impact , using disciplined practices for maintaining balance between cause and of effect , will we be ready for the becoming of success.

[Greek_God]

@Djaay you do realize thoughts do not affect reality by themselves? Thats why I say positivity is irrelevant. I have been a hardcore pessimist my whole life, yet I achieved and experienced a lot of good things. Action gets results. Simple as that. You can even feel suicidal, but if you do the neccessary things, you will achieve your goals. As for motivation, well a small dose of it is present of course with your goal, cause if your goal didn't motivate you at least a little bit by itself, it wouldn't be your goal. But waiting for motivation to do the neccessary hard work is a path to failure. Since you can never be motivated every day, all day. And every day action is required to achieve anything worth mentioning. Thats why discipline is so crucial. Since a disciplined man will do neccessary things every day, no matter what. While a slob who waits for motivation will do something like once a month, and call it a day

[Aloserwholikesmemes]

I agree tbh, I managed to learn English using discipline and I think its the easiest way to achieve something. I also think positivity and motivation can really help, at least in my case. Somedays I felt really down and I didn't feel like opening a book or an app to practice, but thinking about how positive my future could be if I learned to speak English really motivated me. But you're right, positivity and motivation alone do not help if you dont have discipline.

[Greek_God]

Yeah, that was my point. As I said to another guy here, positivity is a matter of personal preference, however you can never lean on it and count on it, otherwise you will fail. The only important thing is that you find a way to do whats neccessary every day, which ever way works best for you, thats an individual thing. As long as you get shit done, its good. Actions count.

[OatsnWhey]

Discipline is priority but motivation isn’t bullshit. Nor is positive thinking. If anything, mindset in regards to pessimism of optimism is more important than anything. Your last paragraph is literally motivation lol. The moment you said “Yes, it’s that simple.”... everything after that is all motivation. Are you feeding us bullshit in the last paragraph? See the inconsistency here?

When I was in the Marine Corps, all of what we were taught was motivation and mindset and I’ve learned through first hand experience that both a very powerful tool when it comes to success and reaching your goals that you never thought could reach.

Right now, I’m getting ready to spar. I’m an MMA fighter and I sparred last week. My wrist still feels fucked up and my lumbar is still aching because I got slammed down on the deck when I was in guard. If I bitched about my pain and moaned and groaned about it all, then I’d fail today’s sparring session. I’m tougher than that though, and that’s why I’m going showcase all my hard work in training to my coaches so that hey select me for the next fight. I’m going to do well today. I wouldn’t do well if I just said “fuck it, I’m going to go and do it but I’m probably going to get my ass kicked.” No, I’m going to do damn well and that’s because I’m motivated and have a genuinely positive mindset.

Or how about when you lose friends in combat? Are you really combat effective if you’re mentally whimpering and sobbing over your buddies death going on that next convoy? No, you’re distracted. Maintaining mental composure and staying positive is everything. If you go out on the next convoy because you’re just “disciplined” and told yourself you just have to do it because you’re disciplined.. then you’re going to go out on the convoy distracted and not up to 100% and possibly get another one of your buddies killed due to incompetent or negligent actions. Why? You’re not 100% in that type of pessimistic mindset. You need to go out there and say that he died for the Corps and our brotherhood and you’re going to the best Marine you can be so you can have the opportunity to off those motherfuckers that took his life. That’s called being mentally tough.

I can share so many more life experiences for example debunking everything you’re saying here. It seems as if you’re on some motivational kick yourself and want to believe you’re just that successful. You’re not successful just because you’ve learned how to alter body composition “greek god”.

[Greek_God]

As I wrote to a few other people here, the positive thinking thing is an individual preference. I am and always was a hardcore pessimist, yet I achieved more in life than any "positive thinker" I know. And Im pretty sure you misunderstood some points. Yes, of course in your examples its better to be motivated and positive, but in those examples, thats just a tool. Let me explain. You lost a buddy in combat. So naturally, you put yourself in the mindset you described above. But you basically know you must get your ass back on the battlefield no matter what, so your mind is forcing itself to feel motivated, and trying to use that motivation as a tool for better performance. Simply put, its a decision, and that sort of a motivation still falls under discipline. The motivation I was talking about, when I said its bullshit, is the motivation that comes alone. If you float through life waiting for random motivation waves to pick you up and get you doing shit, you will never reach success.

[Tephra]

Needed to hear this.. love it! Love the attitude expressed throughout it; a "I don't give a shit" attitude but it is what it is when you want to achieve something. To never give into the temptation and to always be disciplined. You definitely need to write more of these types of takes!

I'm definitely going to save this take and read back over it whenever I feel like I'm slipping again :)

[Greek_God]

Thanks for reading and for the support!

[CubsterShura]

Very true. There is no elevator to success.

I admit I lack discipline, I tend to slack off a HELL lot this is why once I start, no matter what I avoid taking any break because once I'll do it, I'll do it even more.

I actually wished to write a similar myTake, basically the same thing that you wrote but in a different way. I think I want to post it by this week now. I will surely mention you take in mine!

[Greek_God]

Well you are on a good path anyway, most people who lack discipline aren't even aware of it, or they don't admit it, plus they give up easily, while you obviously have consistancy and discipline shen you start working, all it takes is the first step and you should pratice that. Every time you get a new idea or a goal, put diwn your phone or whatwver right away, and take the first step in that direction. It can be even as little as a Google search and gathering information, but it counts. And I am looking forward to your take!

[CubsterShura]

Thank you! :)

[Greek_God]

And thank you for reading and support!

[FatherJack]

Agree totally , you can also work smarter as well as harder. I'm a single dad , working FT too , and launching other ventures. A set of my Para Wings , very hard earned during my British Army service back in 1990 , are pinned to a board near my PC as a motivational reminder !!

[Greek_God]

I assumed that anybody who served in the Army would agree, after all discipline and hard work are some of the most important qualities there. Thanks for reading!

[DiegoO]

I disagree with what you said at first. Positivity and motivation are two things that are gonna help you walk out from your comfort zone and start doing things you had only in mind.

With a positive mindset comes positives emotions and with that a positive behavior. The behavior can be fueled with the emotions but the continuity of the behavior will depend on the discipline you apply to maintain it.

Is like a car, you can ad fuel to make it run but the maintenance it receives is what will keep it in on track.

[Greek_God]

Maybe I didn't explain it well enough. Motivation is good, however you can never and should never rely on it. Its easy to work out after you have seen some show or celebrity that looks good. But that will make you work out that day. While if you posess discipline, you work out even if you feel like shit. No matter how you feel, discipline always gets you out of bed and doing things every day. Thats why I compared motivation to a downhill road. Just like its easier to drive downhill, its easier to do whats neccessary when you are motivated. But you dont rely on it. And you dont stop driving even when the road goes uphill. Do you understand my point?

[DiegoO]

I get it, but discipline without motivation is like a car without wheels. There is always a degree of motivation to do something, motivation can be extrinsic (it can come from the outside), and it can be intrinsic (from your inner self).

You can feel like shit but if you don't have the motivation to apply the discipline, the discipline is not gonna be there, but I agree with what you said, you can't rely on motivation to do what you have to do, however I see it as "you can't rely on extrinsic motivations", the intrinsic is essential to achieve our goals.

[Greek_God]

Well from that point of view, yes I can agree, however people usually talk about extrinsic motivation when they use the word "motivation", so thats why I wrote the motivation part the way I did

[DiegoO]

Ah, I got you.

[Anonymous]

I agree, discipline is the answer. I still went to my college even with the flu last year to get the grade I want instead of staying home, I was shaking with cold, everything hurt, had fever, ate nothing, stomach hurt still went to class. Today I look back at that moment and am glad I went because I got stronger mentally after that day. It was months ago but it still resonates with me and whenever I feel like not studying or going to class , I look back at that moment.

[Greek_God]

Exactly. Moments like that are crucial, and they set you on a path to success. Its easy to do whats neccessary when you got a good night sleep and feel super motivated.

[Schrodingerscat]

You should be trainer to lazy asses like me 😭

You have put it very bluntly, but it has some truth in it.

[Greek_God]

Thanks for reading!

[White_Widow]

Great take! All very true. Well at least for me... Good advice! Keep up this good work instead of calling dumb people fktards, it's paying off :)

[Greek_God]

Thank you!

[Angelina25]

Oh God! I feel motivated now. Alright folks, bye. I'm gonna start studying now. I won't wait for tomorrow morning.
Thanks by the way. :)

[Greek_God]

No problem, Im glad I was able to motivate somebody, it was one of the main goals of this take. Cheers!

[John_Doesnt]

You rack disciprine!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdbORXEmbnk

[Greek_God]

Hahah I actually remembered this scene while I was writing the take

[Ahsthen]

This is in itself a sort of motivational, for those who need to achieve and feel worthy through it. The neutral reckoning is, some endeavours require consistency, and you must find what calls to you to ensure the requisite participation.

[Greek_God]

Yes, thats why I talk about discipline, because only a disciplined mind can be consistent and achieve something every day. I believe consistency is neccessary for almost any goal

[Ahsthen]

No, dear. Sensibility, though passion can suffice.

[Greek_God]

No way. That falls close to the motivation category. Meaning, sure, it can help, but if you rely on that alone, you will fail 10 times out of 10.

[Ahsthen]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P8C6-XqaNs

[Greek_God]

What does this have to do with anything here? If anything, it proves my point even further, without work, practice and discipline, doing what this guy does is basically impossible

[Ahsthen]

I knew you'd take it that way. It's a parody, a farce, within a serious piece of music.

Imagine knowing and being capable in something simply by wanting to. For some, at least in the right circumstances, that's very nearly what happens. It will become more so.

[Greek_God]

That is impossible. Desire is kinda like hunger. Its there to let you know what you want/ need, but it will never bring that thing to you. Just like you need to get up and bring food when hungry, you need to get up and do the things neccessary for your goals. Thoughts alone do not affect anything, except a person's view on life. I don't know how can an adult human being actually believe that just by wanting something you can get it?

[Ahsthen]

Do not practice the act of belief. Have conviction in your perceptions of things."

Most people can replicate things by watching them briefly or by being told about them. Some can replicate complex things, some with very little information. Some people can perform something on the fly, with no background. The mechanics of the circumstance guide them. I've experienced all of these.

Technology will make this immediate. Want and you will know. Some genetic engineering may be necessary for some people's bodies to be able to perform some things.

As well, some think intuition (psychic) can provide. Ask/be open to the Cosmos, and it provides. I've experienced some of this, too.

[Greek_God]

Yeah thats bullshit on the level of "The Secret", fairytales for kids and retards. This take is for normal adult people who strive for success. You may disagree with me now, but hopefully one day you will realize its all crap and come around. No successful person ever became successful because 'they believed it and attracted it' or whatever. Its always hard work and dedication. There are a few of exceptions, like people who win the lottery, but those are very little, and its kinda risky for them, since if their money they can basically fuck themselves.

[Ahsthen]

You said it, for regular people. Proles. Could be niggers, but we won't go there.

[NewYear-NewMe]

I think i'm giving the voice in my head too much power and I feel like I don't fit in with societies expectations.

[Greek_God]

What expectations are we talking about? In which asoect of life? As for the voice inside, understand that the voice is the voice of excuses. The voice of lies. The voice that holds you down. That wants to lead you to a life of failure. Start practicing being more honest with yourself. Cause we all know the truth and the right way deep down, we just need to dig through the layer of bullshit.

[NewYear-NewMe]

Dating and some subjects of school

[Greek_God]

The important question is what do YOU want? Its your life, only your goals and desires matter when it comes do deciding its course

[NewYear-NewMe]

For my career, I either want to be a Sportswriter or a sales manager at a hotel. Dating, the only things I know I want for sure is someone who is comfortable with my awkwardness, ambitious (wants to do something with her life), and is down to earth.

[Greek_God]

Good. You have your goals. Now all you need is to split them into smaller goals, and start working on it. Fuck society's expectations. Remember that every successful person you ever read about or saw on TV didn't fulfill society's expectations.

[NewYear-NewMe]

I feel like I’m not attractive according to society

[Greek_God]

Do what you can. Work out, dress better, smell better etc. On top of that build charisma. Charisma will compensate the lack of looks

[NewYear-NewMe]

For some

[Greek_God]

For everybody. I have friends who are not good looking, and they are fat (over 250 lbs, and not muscle mass), yet they have cgarisma and some of them do better with girls than me.

[NewYear-NewMe]

I wish I believed that, I just haven’t seen that. I’m 6’2 230 and shy around most girls (except a select few)

[Greek_God]

Well 6'2 is a good height, Im abou 6'2, maybe half an inch more. As for the weight, if its muscle mass, its fine, but I assume its not muscle mass. Either way, start working out. But dont wait to become muscular to get a girl. That will help, but you can get a girk this way too. Try to find an e-book called "Simple seduction" by Kurt Spelling. If you can't find it, I will upload it somewhere and send you the link. Simple and effective book, that can get anybody a girl. Trust me

[NewYear-NewMe]

Yeah maybe

[RamptUp]

@Greek_God, can we be best friends? Cuz that was a excellent take on discipline my dude!

[Greek_God]

Hahah sure! Thank you

[Quibit]

What a pile of bull shit. There simply isn't enough success to go round, don't make any difference how hard you work, 99.99% of us are going to be failures, nothing you can do about it.

[Greek_God]

With that attitude, yes, you are always going to be a failure. But hard work provides results. No exceptions.

[Quibit]

I hate successful people, I'm always glad when someone rich gets shot, like John Leon and that Italian from designer, I know his name, but my spell checker won't let me type it. I'm a failure, I have a shit miserable life, I hate to see rich bustard being happy when me and millions of people like me are poor and miserable.

[Greek_God]

Well, there is an expression that says people who quit their dreams are like people who quit cigarettes: they will be bothered by somebody else's, close to them, and they will always try to persuade you to give up yours as well. The truth is unless you work, and work hard for your goals, you will literally never achieve them. Now if you want to be a failure, fine, your choice, but dont act like its the right way

[Quibit]

Hard work is a waste of time, you can't do anything without capital, unless you're lucky enough to be born rich that means taking out a loan, the Ruth's child family controls all the money in the world. Stupid spell chec

[Quibit]

Stupid computer, anyway a Jewish family of bankers who named a species of giraffe after the self's control all the money in the world and lend to other Jews at favorable rates, I'm a gentile, so they won't lend to me, that's why all Jews are rich and happy and we're all poor and miserable.

[Greek_God]

Hey if it makes you feel better, you tell yourself that. But you will never achieve anything without work. And if we are talking about massive world success, then yes, there are some people who decide on important shit, but even that is possible to bypass, although its hard. But thats the thing, if it was easy, we would all be millionaires and rock stars. It takes more

[Jmcmanning]

Finally a post I agree with completely! Great job!

[Greek_God]

Thank you

[Anonymous]

When somebody claims knowing "the only way" to achieve an end, you know something's fishy.

[Greek_God]

I would normally agree, however this is an exception. And you are right to question me, Im a random guy on the internet. However, if you take a look at all successful people, you will discover that they became successful only through hard work and discipline. Not counting "self help gurus" and "life coaches", which became successful by selling lies to people. But even that took work

[Opinion Owner]

I take a look and see many who succeed out of being in the right place, as well.

Even if we simplify success as discipline+opportunity, it won't be so abnormal to either get success out of sheer discipline or opportunity, no matter how biased is one to see just a part of it.

Needless to say, I like the discipline approach from the perspective of it being something you can choose/control, but my point is that success is not bound to it. You can play your cards right yet still get nothing.

[Greek_God]

Of course, success is never guaranteed. But if you dont have discipline and dont work, youvwill definitely fail

[ovoxo_]

Thank you

[Greek_God]

And thank you for reading