Most people, if given any personal, internal trait that they could change to their liking, would want more confidence and self-esteem.


They believe – correctly – that more self-esteem would lead to them trying and doing more things, which would lead to better outcomes and a better life.


This is all true.



What most people don't understand about confidence is where it comes from.



Discipline creates confidence.


Confidence is defined as a belief in your ability to do something. Which means, having a track record of doing things in the past. The way you build confidence is by having the discipline show up every day and doing said work.


So, if you want to have higher self-esteem, you need more discipline. You need to put in the damn work.



So, people then understand that they need to up their discipline game. This is where most people stop and / or get stuck.


Why?


Because they have an inaccurate formula about how to inject discipline into their lives.


Most people's process for being more disciplined is to force-feed discipline upon themselves.



“I need to show up earlier.”

“I need to work harder.”

“I need to be more consistent.”

“I need to push myself.”



All garbage. Because none of it works long-term.



How long have you been telling yourself these things, and not changing?



Lie to me, if you wish. Don't lie to yourself. I talk to people like you for a living.


People fail with discipline because the only discipline method they know of is forcing it.



No. Don't do that.


Discipline is created by structure.



If you were raised by parents who had good sense, they created a structured system for your upbringing. (If not, one of your friends had it.)


If you have been or know anything about the military, you know it’s a highly structured environment. You must fall in line.



If you’ve ever had a hard-driving, demanding boss at work, they had a structure that you followed.



If you played a team sport, and had a very influential coach, that coach installed a structure and system for everyone to adhere to.



Often, the best structures we have are not mere systems created by geniuses. Those structures are created, supported and enforced by authority figures. Authority figures who we respect so much, that we follow the structure that they put in place – even when we don't want to. As a result, we are disciplined while in those environments.



This is the magic formula for discipline.


It's also the magic formula for lack of discipline.



The best way to become and remain disciplined is to be in an environment where there is a solid structure, and an authority figure who you respect enough to follow the mandated structure.



While we’re here, let me tell you the worst environment, and the least-qualified authority figure in your life.



What you're doing now, and yourself; respectively.



I'm not saying this to be hyperbolic. I'm saying it because we have proof.


look at your life right now. Specifically, look at all the things you've been telling yourself that you need to be more disciplined at, but you’re not. Things that, as you're reading this, you're telling yourself you will double-down on discipline.


Let me save you the suspense: Probably not.


You are not going to just wake up one day and automatically be more disciplined. This is not how human beings operate.



The best performers do their best work when in environments that are supportive of the outcomes they want to achieve.



Sometimes the “environment” is being in consistent, direct communication with a person who provides a structure, and holds you accountable for following that structure. Again, think of the military, your sports coaches, bosses, and parents.



Everyone knows what discipline is, and most people want to be more disciplined – yet most people have no discipline whatsoever. Why?


Because most people depend on themselves to create the structure and to hold themselves accountable.


And most people suck at this.



Most people, upon coming to grips with this realization, also do something really stupid.



They double-down on trying it again.



Ignorance is when you do something dumb due to lack of knowledge.

Stupidity is when you do something dumb with full knowledge.



Barbers don't cut their own hair.
Athletes don't coach themselves.

Doctors don't perform self-surgeries.



Doing it on your own is not the goal.



The goal is to do it right and achieve the outcome.



Smart people know which jobs to keep, and which jobs to fire themselves from.



Dummies think they're smart, and try to do everything on their own.



Then, when you point out to them how their strategy isn't working, they just tell you that they will work harder, get smarter, read another book, sign up for another course, and get more motivated. That will solve everything.



I've had thousands of mediocre and average people assert these things to me.



Don't be another one of them.



http://www.WorkOnYourGameUniversity.com