Self-Discipline
WHY SELF-CONTROL IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Many people don’t know this, but self-control and success go hand in hand. One is a cause, and the other is an effect. But why? Why is self-control the key to success?
Well, that’s what we aim to convey to you in this article. In fact, we aim to provide you with a handful of researched and science backed reasons as to why self-control and success belong in the same sentence. But, before we do that, we must first define what self-control and success are separately.
As such, the definition of self-control is essentially your ability to adjust and manage your responses in order to avoid undesirable behaviors or results, increase desirable behaviors or results, and achieve long-term aims. What this basically means, is that self-control is related to our ability to resist temptations, and exercise control over our emotions and actions.
And the definition of success is best expressed in the following way; success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal or aim. Now, some people may think success means “making it”, becoming a millionaire, retiring early, or becoming the head honcho in your organizations’ hierarchy. And while they would be correct, it would only be partially.
And the reason for this, is because these are merely aspects of success, which typically only have meaning relative to the pursuer. So, the best answer for what success is, is our progressive actualization of our goals, and of course the final realization of our goal.
SELF-CONTROL IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Success Research
With that being said, here’s what we’ve discovered about the relationship between success and self-control. After conducting research and chronicling the success stories of some of the the most successful and richest people in modern times, we’ve found that one of the key traits they all had amongst themselves was the ability to force themselves to take action on the activities that would lead them closer and closer to their intended aims over time. In other words, what we found was that they all had, heightened levels of self imposed disciplined and control over themselves.[1]
Now, self-discipline and self-control are not 100% the same thing, but they are very much related. Self-discipline is forcing ourselves do to what we set out to do. Whereas self-control is our ability to choose to act or not act on certain impulses that we have. Impulses like staying up later than we should, or sleeping in late, relaxing and taking more time off from productive activity than is necessary, or eating more than our diet recommends.
Similarly, having self-control is our ability to control how we feel, and our ability to choose to take action despite those feelings. And so, self-discipline and self-control, while not exactly the same, are very much related. So much so, that you can’t have one with out the other.
Self-Control Study
One of the best historical samples that leans on science to show how self-control lends to a person’s ability to succeed, was conducted in 1972. It was a self-control study conducted on a handful of children using marshmallows.[2]
The children were placed in a room, and given the option to have one marshmallow now, or refrain from eating the tasty treat that was placed in front of them by waiting 15 minutes while the researcher was gone, with the promise of getting a second marshmallow when he got back.
Now, the most important aspect of this research was directly related to the follow up studies, which assessed the outcomes of the children that participated in the famed marshmallow study.[3] And the outcomes clearly showed, that the children from the initial study that displayed the most self-control, i.e. (the children who abstained from eating marshmallow) would years later, show greater signs of achievement, both in school, socially, and in life.[4]
Historical Success Study
Another great example that showcases how self-control and success go hand in hand comes from a historical success study that was initiated by one of the richest men in modern history. The man who kickstarted this study was a famous steel magnate named Andrew Carnegie who accumulated much of his wealth in the early 20th century.
One of Carnegie’s greatest legacies was the commissioning of a man named Napoleon Hill to research and interview the most successful people across the country. And that’s exactly what Napoleon Hill did.
The results of Napoleon Hill’s decades long research culminated into a handful of books that contained the so called key to success. And it’s a key to success that millions of people still rely on to this day.
Napoleon Hill’s ultimate conclusion on what the master key to riches and success were, boiled down to one having the self-control and self-discipline necessary to take full and complete possession of their own minds.[5] In short, self-discipline, self-control and success go hand in hand.
Low self-control leads to low achievement, and low achievement is associated with a lack of success. On the other hand, high self-control correlates with higher rates of achievement, which in turn is typically associated with higher levels of success and well-being.
Why Discipline and Self-Control Lead To Success
Okay, so we have shown that there is a clear link between self-control and success. But, We are sure you are curious why this is the case. So, here is a simple answer. Self-discipline and self-control are the paths to success for the same reason, that the plant you water grows and the one you neglect dies.
Goals, like plants, require a certain level of continuous nourishment in the form of specific decisions, behaviors, and actions that must be delivered on in order for them to be actualized.
No matter what your goal is, or what object of success you are chasing, specific nourishing requirements for each goal. Some goals require massive amounts of commitment and effort, whereas smaller goals require less.
And more often than not, when people set out to achieve a specific level of success, they don’t calculate for the massive amounts of self-discipline and self-control that will be required for them to press on when times get tough, or when they don’t feel like working. So as time goes on, those people who are able to continually move forward on their goals with no loss of enthusiasm and through sheer self-discipline and self-control, eventually reach their aim.
Related: How to Improve Self-Control
Final Thoughts on Self-Control and Success
Is self-control important to success?
Well, here are our final thoughts on self-control and success which we hope answers this question. We have observed and discovered that people with high levels of self-control are generally better at managing their time, they stick to productive activities longer, and they tend to take action more consistently then those with lower levels of self-control.
The self-controlled person also controls their spending habits to avoid frivolous expenditures, and they are good at consistently putting money away towards savings and investments, thus, they tend to also be better off financially than their counterparts who lack self-control.
As such, the self-controlled person will find it easier to achieve more, become more successful, and create more financial stability and riches for themselves.
With that being said, we’ve explained why self-discipline and self-control almost always leads to success. As such, we hope you’ve gained some value from this post. But most importantly, we hope it has inspired you to want to learn more about how you can improve your own levels of self-control, so you can ultimately find more success in life, whether it’s financially or goal-related.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If enjoyed this article about how self-control is the key to success, then you’ll love these supporting resources:
James Allen, is his masterful book ‘As a Man Thinketh’ uttered many powerful words of wisdom. Words that can help just about anyone improve their lives. And out of all of his words, his self-control is strength quote is one of his best. Here’s the full quote:
“Self-control Is Strength; Right Thought Is Mastery, Calmness Is Power.”
– James allen –
Self-Control and Strength Defined
What is Self-Control? Self-Control is the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations.[1]
What is Strength? Strength is the quality or state of being physically or [mentally/emotionally] strong.[2]
In case you were wondering how self-control equates to strength, here’s our answer. Self-control is strength, because self-control leads to strength. Good choices (which typically requires self-control) almost always lead to good results.
Whereas bad and lazy choices tend to lead to results that are not as strong or as good as they could be. Bad trees cannot bear good fruits. In other words, weak and lazy thoughts lead to weak and lazy action, which ultimately leads to lazy results.
No doubt, self-control is difficult for many people. But, with practice it becomes easier. The more you employ your self-control, the stronger you’ll get mentally, and if directed towards your health, physically as well.
Why Is The Self-control Is Strength Quote So Powerful?
This quote is particularly powerful, because is it pinpoints a truth that resonates with just about everyone. Every single one of us has had challenges with self-control. And most people know deep down inside, that if they could just find a way to improve their self-control, or their thoughts, things would begin to change for them.
The quote is powerful because it is empowering. It gives us the key to success to finding success in most areas of our lives. The self-control is strength quote lays bare success secrets that anyone can apply and benefit from immediately.
Want to feel and be stronger physically and mentally? Practice your self-control. Yes, it will be hard, and it will take lots of will power. But, it can be done.
Self-control will lead to you exercising more and eating healthier foods. It will also lead you to limiting what you allow in our mind, and to paying attention to how you think, which will lead to stronger thoughts.
Looking to become the master of your own life? Take the helm of your thoughts, and can steer your life in any direction you want it to go. When you take control of your thoughts, you take control of your life.
Want to feel more powerful and in control of your life? Aim for calmness in your actions. Cease reacting to your life’s problems, and to other people. Instead choose to respond to what happens. Calmly respond to your challenges and be slow to respond to people. Respond vs. react in all things.
Self-control is self-empowerment. Improve your self-control and you empower yourself to improve your own life.
Self Control Is Strength
Self-control is strength, and it leads to a higher quality of life, and a key ingredient for finding more success in life. In fact, success and self-control go hand in hand.
“Self-control is strength; right thought is mastery, calmness is power.” – James Allen, As a Man Thinketh
With that said, we highly recommend you learn more about the author of this quote, his book ‘As a Man Thinketh’ is one of the most powerful books ever written and is a must read for anyone interested in becoming more self-reliant, finding more success, and looking to improve the quality of their lives.
Here are a few supporting resources to get your started on your success journey of heightened self-control:
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this brief write up about this self-control is strength quote, then you’ll likely appreciate our empowering discipline quotes. You can give them a read here.
Setting goals is a crucial part of success. No matter what you want to achieve in life, be it in your career, relationships, or in business, identifying what you want to achieve and then making a plan to move toward that destination is one of the most important steps of all.
When you know what you want and the exact outcome you desire, you can then create a plan and take action to get there. This is why setting goals works. Extraordinary people are able to produce amazing results in life because they have a clear goal that they want to achieve in mind. They know what they want, and then they get to work on their goals, every single day.
With that being said, if you want to master yourself, achieve greater results in life, and ultimately make your dreams a reality, you’ll need to learn how to set and achieve your goals. So, here are the top 10 ways to achieve your goals in 2025. Enjoy!
Top 10 Ways To Achieve Your Goals This Year
1. Always Keep Your Goals in Your Mind
One of the most common reasons why some people fail at their goals while others succeed at them, is that those who successfully achieved their goals are really adept at keeping their goals top of mind.
Of course, this is easier said than done. But, it is backed up by the one of the most well-known success phrases of all-time…“You become what you think about most of the time”. It’s a phrase that conveys the fact that your life is organized around your thoughts. Hence, your dominant thoughts will determine how you will live your life.
If you always think about having not enough money, guess what, you will not be having enough money. You will find it hard to come up with extra money and there are always more days left at the end of the money.
Your thoughts dictate your life. Tony Robbins once said, “Where you focus goes, energy flows”, thus, if you always think about your goals and focus on them, that’s what you will create in your life. So, always choose to consciously think about your goals.
This is why you need to write down your goals, review them, visualize them, and see yourself achieve them. Make a vision board for your goals if you want to.
2. Make Sure Your Goals Align With Your Inner Values
Next up on the list of top 10 ways to achieve your goals is to ensure they align with your values. Yes, you have to make sure your goals align with your inner values. You don’t want to set a goal that is not in harmony with your values.
For example, if you are someone who values security more than adventure, setting a goal like traveling alone around the world may not work for you. Even if you force yourself to do it, you will not enjoy the progress and the experience.
Here’s another example, many people set income goals. And if money isn’t their main purpose, their goals will never work. They will find it hard to come up with the drive to put themselves into action and they will find ways to sabotage their own success.
This is what happens when your goals conflict with your values. Instead, learn to set goals that align with your inner values. Set goals that make your heart sing.
Related: Goal Setting Mistakes to Avoid
3. Make Your Goals Measurable
Are your goals measurable? Most people set very general and vague goals like, “I want to become rich”, or “I want to be happy”, etc., but these goals are vague, and they are not measurable.
Let me ask you, if your goal is to live a happy life, how do you know when you have achieved it? That’s the problem. When your goal isn’t measurable, you will never know when you have reached it.
So, make your goals quantifiable. Make them measurable so that you can tell when you have reached them. Plus, when something is measurable, you can then come up with a specific action plan to achieve it.
If your goals are not measurable, you will work day and night without knowing if you have reached them.
4. Identify the Lead Measures
Lead measure is an important measure of your goals. Most people focus on their main target or the results they want, but they don’t focus on their lead measures, and this is why they fail.
Your lead measures are the measures that directly impact the results of your goals.
For instance, if your goal is to lose weight, the two main lead measures are exercise and diet. How much time do you spend to exercise each week? And do you track your diet and calorie intake?
You see, these two measures will directly impact your goal of losing weight. If you want to achieve your goal, then all you need to do is to focus on the two lead measures: exercise and diet.
And you hit your exercise and diet target, you will automatically reach your weight loss goal.
Here’s another classic example. If you want to increase your sales, what should you do? You focus on prospecting and presentation. The more prospects you present to, the higher your number of sales. Therefore, the number of prospects you approach, and sales presentation you deliver are the two lead measures you must work on.
When you achieved your lead measure goals, you will achieve your main goal, which is to increase your sales. So, focus and work on the lead measures.
5. Focus on Making Progress
Next, don’t always think about your goals and the results, when it comes to maintaining your momentum, you need to focus on making progress.
As a blogger, one of my goals is to build a huge responsive subscribers list from my blog. But if I focus on the result, the number of subscribers I get each day, I’m going to fail. Why? When I first started, my blog is new and there are no visitors and subscribers.
So, if I think about my goal of having a ton of subscribers, I will feel dejected, lose my motivation, and eventually give up on my blog. Instead, I choose to focus on making progress.
I know that if I want to grow my subscribers, I will need to publish new articles consistently. Hence, I focus on publishing content. Every time I published a new article, I celebrate and reward myself. I feel good about it and it drives me to continue publishing new content.
And so, day after day, I make progress. And slowly, the number of visitors to my blog increases, and the same goes for my number of subscribers.
Can you notice the difference? Having a goal is important, but to achieve your goal, you need to make progress. Hence, it is more important to focus on the progress than to only think about your goals and do nothing.
Let your progress motivate you and get you to your goals.
6. Work on Improving Yourself Every Day
There is no way you can achieve your goals if you don’t improve yourself. You are where you are because of what you know and what you do. If you want to get to a new place, you need to do something different, and that requires you to improve yourself.
I love to give an example of playing games. If the character in your game is at level 3 and you need to fight a level 5 enemy, you will find the enemy difficult to beat. But as you play the game, gain better experience, and level up your character, say to level 8, the same level 5 enemy will be easy to beat.
Therefore, work on improving your level. When the size of you increase, the problem will become a small problem.
It is the size of you that matters, not the size of the problem. If you think you are having a big problem right now, it is because the size of you is small. You must learn to improve yourself so that the problems become no problem for you.
Related: Motivation Journals for Self-Improvement
7. Set Goals That Are Fun and Exciting
Think about it, if something isn’t fun or exciting, will you have the motivation to achieve it? Obviously, the answer is no. But unfortunately, that’s what most people do. They set goals that are not fun or exciting to them.
You have to understand that if you want to achieve your goals, your goals must be fun and exciting so that you will want to wake up each morning and work on them. If your goals are boring and uninspiring, you will choose to continue to sleep than to wake up and chase them.
Set a goal that makes your heart sing. Be passionate about your goals and make sure you are excited when you think, talk, and work on your goals.
8. Make Your Goals Challenging
Besides making your goals fun and exciting, you must also make them challenging. Why? Because that’s the only way you can grow.
You see, Albert Einstein once said, “A ship is safe at the harbor, but that’s not why it is built for.” Your life is meant to be fun, exciting, and challenging. You want to live a remarkable life, isn’t it? Hence, make your goals challenging.
Think about it, if you are currently earning $5,000 a month, making an additional $100 isn’t going to make you jump out of your bed in the morning. What you want is to have a goal that is challenging and inspiring.
You want your goals to force you out of your comfort zone so that you can grow and become someone better, and worthy of the goals.
9. Take Baby Steps Each Day
It doesn’t matter how big your goals or how difficult they are, as long as you take baby steps and make progress each day, you will eventually get to your goals.
The key is in making progress every day. You can’t achieve your goals by thinking about them, you need to do something.
There is a saying, “If you swing the ax five times, every day, eventually the tree will fall.” Yes, no matter how big the tree, if you just swing an ax at it just five times a day, it will eventually fall.
The same principle applies to your life and your goals. As long as you take action and persist in working on your goals every day, you will eventually arrive at your destination.
Therefore, be consistent. Commit to taking at least 5 baby steps each day, and trust me, you will achieve your goals faster than you thought possible.
10. Believe in Your Goals and Trust Yourself That You Can Do It
Last up on this list of the 10 ways to achieve your goals is related to belief. You need to believe in your goals and trust yourself that you can do it. First, you must believe that your goals are possible. And second, you must trust that you can achieve them.
When you truly believe you can achieve your goals, you will do whatever it takes to reach them. Think about why people buy lottery tickets. Well, it is because they believe that they stand a chance to win, right? If you don’t believe you stand a chance to win, you will never bother buying the lottery ticket.
The same goes for your goals. When you believe that you can achieve them, you will do it with a 100% commitment rather than a half-hearted attempt.
Therefore, believe that your goals are possible and trust that you can achieve them.
Conclusion
There is no way you are going to achieve your goals if you all you do is sit there and do nothing. Reading this article is good because it helps you understand what you need to do to achieve the results you want, but until you implement the knowledge and take action, nothing is going to happen.
“Dream Big, Start Small, But Most Of All, Start.”
– Simon Sinek –
Hence, don’t just think and daydream about your goals and the success you want. Make this year your best year ever by using these 10 ways to achieve your goals. If you need a little reminder, you can always print out or save the summarized tips for achieving your goals below:
It is true that this year has been challenging and tough, but if you keep a positive attitude, focus on your goals, and do what is necessary, you can make 2025 a life-transforming year. Use these goal achieving tips to help you.
Till next time,
STRIVE
PS – We hope you enjoyed these top 10 ways to achieve your goals, but never lose sight of this important fact: Achieving goals doesn’t just magically happen. Goal achievement requires a plan. So, if you truly want to make 2025 a life-transforming year, this resource will absolutely help you make it happen.
Ahhh, self-discipline, that pain-in-the-butt success attribute that most of us wish were easier to wield. If I told you there was a pill you could take to increase your self-discipline, would you want one?
Hahaha, so would I.
Unfortunately, there is no pill.
But, I do have something for you that is far better than some easy peasy pill. In fact, I have 15 or so of them for you.
And I am confident you could benefit from them.
How can I be so sure?
STATISTICS
Statistics. Statistically speaking, 92% of people who set goals at the beginning of each year, don’t achieve them (University of Scranton.) That stat alone, says so much about the state of our collective self-discipline.
“92 % Of People Who Set Goals At The Beginning Of Each Year, Don’t Achieve Them.”
– University of Scranton –
It reveals that most people can’t stick to a simple goal they set out to achieve.
How is it that so many people fail to achieve what they really want?
I mean, nobody sets a goal they don’t think they can achieve.
Nobody sets a goal around something they don’t sincerely want either.
Yet, so many still fail to reach the simple goals they set for themselves, year after year.
And what about the big goals? Let’s not even go there.
THE CAUSE?
Here’s the most likely culprit. When the results we go after don’t come fast enough, and we realize what we’re chasing seems like more of a hassle than we first imagined, we second-guess ourselves. And as we continue to pursue our goals, we slowly begin making up our minds that the pain of consistent self-discipline is a cost we aren’t willing to pay. The pain bests us.
So, what do we do?
We stop striving for our goal.
If that scenario sounds familiar, then you’ve had your own struggles with self-discipline. In short, self-discipline is likely hard for you.
But, you don’t have to feel too bad about it (just a little bad), because you are not alone. Self-discipline is painful for just about everyone. But just because it’s painful, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to find more of it.
Truth is, self-discipline is a pain that is good for you. It’s so good for you that it really shouldn’t be seen as pain at all.
Like Euripides said…. “Do not consider painful what is good for you.”
NO PAIN NO GAIN
My friend, self-discipline is a worthy characteristic to improve. It’s worthy because it has the power to lead you from where you are now, to where you want to be, faster than any other human quality.
Self-discipline is a force to be reckoned with. When it is strong, it will keep you moving forward, progressing towards your goals till you hit them.
On the flip side, self-discipline is also something everyone struggles with at some point in their lives. And when it’s weak your achievements will be meek.
So go big, keep going for those big goals, but make sure your self-discipline is strong before you do so.
Why? Because trying to achieve a goal without self-discipline, is like trying to ride a bicycle across a hilly countryside and expecting to get up the harder, steeper hills without peddling.
It’s just not going to happen. Which is why goal achievement without self-discipline is impossible.
Fortunately, you can build and craft your self-discipline to your liking. And you can do it in a short amount of time.
The more you build it, the more and more achievements you’re likely to see in your life.
And I have just the thing to help you begin building your self-discipline.
Here are 14 self-discipline books you should read to help you fortify your self-discipline.
You’ll strengthen your discipline just by reading them, because it takes discipline to read books.
But, you’ll also gain powerful self-discipline mindset insights, insights that will help you become the master over your very own.
So here you go my friends, a handful of stepping stones to higher and better levels of self-discipline.
BEST BOOKS ON DISCIPLINE
Note: We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
1. The Compound Effect
‘The Compound Effect’ is like a manifesto for self-discipline. The author of this book is Darren Hardy, who is the former publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, a serial entrepreneur, mutli-millionaire, and the author of a few other books. And you know what? This guy knows a thing or two about success and self-discipline.
Darren sums it up well in his book when he gives the formula for how to create radical change in our lives. The formula is this: “Small smart choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE”
Small smart choices come down to small daily self-disciplines.
This book is worth the read because it will help you realize that it is the small everyday choices you make, not the big disciplines, that determine the size of your achievements.
After reading this, self-discipline will seem less daunting, more manageable, and perhaps even a bit attractive. Get this book, and let Darren sell you on the power of self-discipline and it can do to transform the outcome of your life.
2. Mastery
‘Mastery’ is a masterpiece. This book was authored by Robert Greene, and it covers a wide spectrum of ideas that coalesces around what it takes to become a master. A master of your craft, your profession, a master of your life.
Much of the material in the book is pulled from the author’s vast knowledge of historical and modern masters to help you realize what it takes to become a master, the likes of Mozart, Leonardo Da Vinci, Goethe, John Coltrane, Marcel Proust, and many others.
He demonstrates that Mastery is a simple process that is accessible to anyone who is willing to put in the time, effort, dedication and sacrifice to create masterful work.
His reference to Leonardo Da Vinci’s motto, Ostinato Rigore, meaning stubborn rigor sums up what kind of self-discipline is required to achieve your life’s task (your purpose).
To strengthen your self-discipline and learn what it takes to become the master of your fate, this is definitely book you should digest.
3. The Willpower Instinct
‘The Willpower Instinct‘ approaches self-discipline and self-control from a more academic stand point. It’s a good self discipline book, but if I am honest, it’s quite boring to read.
If you are true student of self-discipline and self-control though, it will be worth it.
It’s worth your time because it will help you gain clarity on why self-discipline seems so challenging to master for so many people. The clarity gained from this book can lead to better decisions, and better decisions always leads to better results.
4. The Master Key to Riches
This book is a powerful book for building self-discpline. Every chapter provides insight upon insight on the habits and types of efforts that are required for you to achieve more in life.
The most important chapter though, is chapter 12, because it deals solely with self-discipline. Chapter 12 makes a strong case for why you should work on becoming self-disciplined, especially if wealth, success, and riches are things you are striving for.
And let’s be honest, money, success, and power are things we’re all striving for. So give this one a read, and learn why self-discipline is the master key to riches. Then put what you learn to use, and build the rich and abundant life you deserve for yourself.
5. The War of Art
In my opinion, out of all of the best books on discipline, this one is the best. However, this book is listed and #5 because it was primarily written for creative types who know the self-sabotaging challenges that come with trying to create great work consistently.
Even if you are not an artist, author, or entrepreneur, this book will help you realize the struggle to create is real, but that it can be conquered.
I believe this book is for everyone because we are all creators, creators and designers of our own lives.
Now the author doesn’t call out self-discipline directly through the book, rather, he positions it as “Resistance”. But, through his concept of “Resistance” clearly communicates how you must commit to your work, to becoming a pro, and how when you do, you’ll be applying the self-discipline you’ve needed to do what you’ve always wanted.
It’s a good kick in the pants that will help you deal with your self-discipline challenges in an effective way. So give it read.
6. The Practicing Mind
If you are looking for a new perspective on how to build your self-discipline, then this book is for you. Thomas M. Sterner makes a strong case for the importance mindset plays on how self-disciplined we are. He does a good job relating his personal experiences with mastering golf, piano lessons, and book writing, using the practicing mind process.
You’ll learn that with the right awareness and mindset, you can better master just about anything. His biggest urging is to learn to love the process of whatever it is you are seeking to accomplish, to do so, is to develop a practicing mind.
And when you’ve developed a practicing mind, the self-discipline and focus we all struggle with, becomes easier to wield.
A slow read, but it has some gems in it for sure.
7. Willpower: Rediscovering The Greatest Human Strength
Roy Baumeister is highly admired psychologists who teamed up with the renowned New York Times science writer, John Tierney, to create what is in a sense a self-control manifesto. Both authors do a great job of taking their vast knowledge of people and human psychology, to effectively sum up the power of willpower.
They give great examples of how we can refuel our willpower, and create effective habits that can actually make it easier for us to control ourselves. In short, you’ll learn the science behind self-control and many new and unique methods to help you master yours.
All in all, it’s a great book to read and an excellent building block to help you level up your self-discipline.
8. Think and Grow Rich
This book belongs in almost every self-improvement category, but it really shines when it comes to self-discipline.
When you read this book, you’ll gain a new awareness to success, gaining riches, and all that other achievement jazz. But most importantly, it will drill the point home, that no success, no great riches, no high achievements can be made if you have not mastered your thoughts.
And sure enough, the mastery of your thoughts comes down to your ability to discipline your mind on how to think, what to allow into your mind, and what kind of thoughts you should consistently be focusing on to achieve your goals.
This book is a must-read for the true seeker of success and self-discipline.
9. No Excuses: The Power of Self-Discipline
Brian Tracy has been around for a very long time, but his book on discipline, ‘No Excuses’ is still a great starting place if you are ambitious, just finishing up your schooling, or about to get started in the working world.
He’s a pretty much a ‘self-development guru’, since he’s been at this for so long. He covers many success maxims you’ve probably already heard, but he does a good job of tying them all together around the subject of self-discipline.
Reading this book will help you realize the value self-discipline plays in just about every area of our life.
10. The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg does a great job illuminating the complexity of the science behind our habits and breaking it down into digestible insights.
You’ll learn that the bulk of what we does is governed by our habits, and how with a little bit of disciplined awareness, you can master the art of turning bad habits into good ones.
So, if you are have some bad habits you need to change, or some new habits you need to create, and want to ensure you have the discipline to see them through, get this book, it is the ultimate cheat sheet for mastering your habits.
11. The Warrior Ethos
This book not your typical book on discipline. It’s about an approach to life, it’s about an ethos.
It’s about an ethos that has become less and less apart of modern-day culture, yet, is the exact ethos most fit to help you embrace the struggles and toil of your every aspiration.
The tenets of the Warrior Ethos, directed inward, can inspire you to fight against and conquer the enemies that can be found within our own hearts and minds.
I highly recommend this book. It’s not a book 100% dedicated to self-discipline, so don’t expect a bunch of science and data. But, you can expect to be inspired and fired up to gain the discipline of a Spartan.
Read this book and gain the mental toughness you’ll need, if you want to have the self-discipline of a champion.
12. Self-Discipline
Coming in at number 12 on our list of books for building self-discipline is aptly named… ‘Self-Discipline’. This is a newer self-discipline book, but it deserves mentioning as it is jam packed with powerful principles that can help you build the mental toughness and tightened mental focus that lead to achievement. It is truly a simple and easy read, and gets right to the point on what self-discipline is and how anyone can get more of it.
Out of all of our best books on self-discipline, this book has been listed because it does a phenomenal job helping the reader learn that self-discipline is more than just a skillset, it is a lifestyle. And in my opinion, once you’ve accepted this fact and truly understand it… your ability to become the master of yourself and by extension, your fate will be transformed.
13. Make Your Bed
Make Your Bed is by far one of the more popular books on self-discipline and life improvement in general. It’s has garnered the prestigious title of a NY Times Best Seller, which we believe is a well deserved title. The author of Make Your Bed is Admiral William H. McRaven. And he wrote this book after giving a commencement speech that went viral. The message he conveyed it that commencement speech, and what he lays forth in this book, is about how the little things make a big difference in how our life turns out.
It’s is certainly not an academic book as it contains various short stories and anecdotes for life. However, it is a book that will at the very least inspire you to do the little things a little bit better and a little more consistently. And this will ultimately help you change your life. After all, that’s what self-discipline is all about, isn’t it? Consistently doing the little things.
14. The Science of Self-Discipline
Best-selling author and human psychology researcher Peter Hollins has created a one-of-a-kind resource with his book The Science of Self-Discipline. As someone who has studied high performance individuals for over a decade, Hollins really nails the psychology and science behind behind self-discipline in this book.
His book provides an 11 chapter road map that will help you understand everything from how your biology, habits, mindset, and environment can and will impact your discipline levels. As such, this discipline book comes highly recommended and should be added to your reading list as well, if you have yet to read it.
15. The Marshmallow Test
Walter Mischel is one of the world’s leading experts on self-control. His groundbreaking work on self-control (a.k.a. the famous marshmallow test) has helped him get cited more than any other psychologist when it comes to self-control, as he’s shown better than anybody else, the direct link that exists between delayed gratification and one’s ability to create a successful life for themselves.
With that said, this is a great book to study if you’re looking to master self-discipline and self-control, as Mischel provides countless antidotes and strategies that just about anyone can implement to gain mastery of both.
16. The Power of Self-Discipline
In 2021 Peter Hollins published The Power of Self-Discipline. And while it’s not one of the most popular books on discipline, it is one of the most effective.
Why? Because it helps you get right to the heart of what deteriorates discipline, and it provides tangible methods to overcome those things. In fact, The Power of Self-Discipline is one of the few books that actually gives you small exercises that you can use to slowly and methodically build your self-discipline, habits, and self-control.
So if you’re looking for effective tools to reshape how well you can stay focused, disciplined, and get more more done with less effort, then this book is for you.
Bonus Self-Discipline Book: Discipline Equals Freedom
Sometimes, what we all really need to get the discipline we want is the cold hard truth. And that is exactly what Jocko Willink lays down for us in his book Discipline Equals Freedom. Hands down this is one of the best books on discipline.
This book is a must have for every discipline seeking individual, because Jocko speaks truth. No doubt, you may find what he has to say abrasive, maybe even a bit too straight-forward. But if you are truly seeking discipline, then you should be okay with his methods. Why? Because the ends justify the means.
This is a self-help book we all need to read in this day and age. And at the moment out of all of these books on discipline, this one is currently my favorite. It’s a book that will help you discipline your thoughts, which will then help you discipline your actions. So, if you’re ready to learn the simple truths about self-discipline, truths that will lead to disciplined action, then this book is for you.
“With Self-discipline, Most Anything Is Possible.”
– Theodore Roosevelt –
GO FORTH AND BUILD YOUR SELF-DISCIPLINE
There you have it friends, the absolute best books on self-discipline that can help you improve your self-discipline and self-control. But don’t just let your learning lead to knowledge, let your learning lead to action. And for some bonus methods to discipline your thoughts, be sure to check out these highly effective discipline affirmations, and our highly popular discipline quotes.
Remember, all successful people are highly disciplined people. All unsuccessful people are usually undisciplined and unable to control their actions and appetites.
So, read these self discipline books, leverage your resources, and put what you learn into action, so when they talk about the 8% of people who follow through on their goals, they’ll be talking about you.
Till next time,
STRIVE
PS – These are the best books on discipline, no doubt about it! But if you’re looking for something to truly help you BE self-disciplined NOW, self-disciplined enough to actually achieve the big harry audacious goals you’ve set for yourself, then this is for you.
If you want to know how discipline leads to happiness, then you’ll enjoy this article. Our research on this topic started after we came across an older, but still very relevant article that suggested the key to happiness was self-discipline.
We were struck by the article; particularly because it had brought to light a different key to happiness than we’ve been accustomed to hearing for most of our lives. The kind of secrets to happiness that we are all pretty much accustomed to hearing, you know; be more grateful, be present, get some supportive friends, have some goals to aspire to, focus on your health, or make more money, etc..
The article we read was published by the Atlantic. It was a synopsis of a study conducted in 2013 by Wilhelm Hoffman at the University of Chicago. If you are interested in digging deeper into the published research, you can do so here: Wiley Online Library.
“A Disciplined Mind Leads To Happiness, And An Undisciplined Mind Leads To Suffering.”
– Dalai Lama –
Don’t Worry, Be Happy Self-Disciplined
The article spoke to us not only because it was refreshingly different from what the rest of the world typically says about acquiring happiness, but because it is something that we’ve found to be true in our own lives.
We’ve noticed through our own experiences, that when we’ve let our guard down, when we let our lack of self-control, and lack of discipline drive our life, things always seem to eventually get worse. It’s not something that happens immediately either; whenever we’ve let off the proverbial (self-discipline) pedal; it has always led to a slow process of degradation.
It typically starts with something small, like having a good habit of going to bed early morph into a bad habit of going to bed late. Having this good habit eventually turn into a bad habit, slowly leads to other good habits, like going to the gym consistently, or starting/arriving to work before schedule, in addition to other habits of our turning into bad habits all of their own. Eventually, through inertia, even our once chipper and positive attitude becomes influenced, allowing us to drift into a realm of negativity.
Unfortunately, this degradation process has led us to having less patience with friends and family, in addition to obvious signs of work motivation and productivity being impacted. Eventually, our levels of happiness and feelings of joy would take a very noticeable nose dive.
There’s no better quote to express the discipline to happiness process than the Dalai Lama’s famous quote: “A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.”
Needless to say, reading the study was not only like taking a breath of fresh air, but it was also reaffirming of our own experiences and philosophy on the link between self-discipline and happiness (which always feels good).
How Discipline Leads to Happiness
Below is a great way to visualize how discipline leads to happiness. It demonstrates how the end result/happiness levels can be determined by the level of discipline applied.
Get Disciplined About Self-Discipline
We are always aiming to add value to you, our readers, so we did some serious self-reflection and research to come up with the four methods that, you can apply easily, but that will still have the biggest impact on your ability to increase your self-discipline. We intentionally left out any fluff, so you can get moving on your journey towards increased happiness.
This is going to sound like a crazy thought, but it is true. Acquiring discipline requires discipline. None of the steps that we are about to provide to you will take place without you making up your mind to take action on them.
So in essence, to get disciplined, you have to have at least a smidgen of discipline to get you moving forward on those actions. We know everyone has at least enough discipline to at a minimum, get started on these small steps towards improving our discipline.
Related: The Definition of Self-Discipline
1. Create a Compelling Reason to Be Disciplined
One of the most powerful catalysts we’ve experienced in improving our self-discipline, was in creating a compelling reason to stick to those disciplines. The best way we’ve found to do this, was to take the time to think about and outline our goals for the next 12 months.
The most important aspect of setting these goals was to ensure that they were goals that really brought excitement into our lives. We wanted to ensure they were goals that excited us, goals that if (and when) reached, would add a level of amazingness to our lives.
Needless to say, the goals you need to create should be so enticing, so exciting, that you will be compelled to take action on them.
When you do this, you will have effectively set the stage to stick to your disciplines a little bit better. Dare we say, that after you do this, you may experience (as we did) an almost magical-like tug on you, to take action on your ideas and plans (when needed) until that compelling reason/goal you set up for yourself is realized.
Check out these resources to help you create your compelling reason:
- A basic how-to outline for goal setting from Psychology Today.
- 4 steps for setting powerful goals from Success.com.
- An effective goal setting template that spans 10 years.
2. Sleep Your Way To Stronger Self-Discipline
We pride ourselves on being Spartan-like, and often force ourselves to work late into the night, instead of sleeping.
Of course, facts are facts, and apparently even Spartans have to sleep too. As such, this step should be an easy one to execute.
The next simple way you can get started on improving your self-discipline is through getting enough sleep. It sounds simple, but when we deprive ourselves of sufficient amounts of sleep, it can significantly impact our ability to focus, it can affect our mood, our judgement, and even our general sense of well-being.
On top of this, when we are not well rested, even the simplest of tasks can become difficult to accomplish. So in short, getting sufficient levels of sleep is directly linked with our ability to be self-disciplined.
Last we checked, most people crave sleep, so why not allow yourself the luxury of indulging in at least this one thing?
If you want to go into more depth on sleep deprivation and the impact it can have on your cognitive performance, here are two helpful studies to dig into: Study One & Study Two.
Use these tips to help you get more sleep.
- Start taking naps.
- Stop using a digital device one hour before falling asleep (this one is so hard, but you can do it).
- Sleep no more or no less than 8 hours.
- Have a bed-time routine.
Our next actionable step, like sleep, requires you to keep your eyes shut. However, this step takes quite a bit more effort.
3. Meditate Your Way to Self-Discipline
Our third tip to strengthen your self-discipline is to meditate. Mediation is a practice of quieting our minds. When done correctly, it can help put our minds at ease, and drown out our hyperactive thoughts. In essence, meditation is actually a practice in disciplining your attention.
Before reading further, if you find that mediation is just too ‘new-age’ a topic for you to even consider, take a look at any of these scientific reviews from the National Institute of Health, webmd.com, and PyschologyToday.com to help you become a believer.
Once done, come on back and I’ll share with you the powerful benefits that mediation can provide to help you improve your self-discipline.
Self-Discipline Benefit 1
The first benefit, is that your mind will gradually become less noisy, allowing for improved focus and clarity. With an improvement in these two areas, you will have a higher tendency to pay attention to the things in your life that really matter.
So, remove the mental distractions from your life. The more the merrier. And by doing this, you will get more done. And this will in turn, contribute greatly to your ability to become more self-disciplined.
Self-Discipline Benefit 2
The second benefit is that through the practice of meditation itself, you will be simultaneously improving your mental self-discipline. We say this, because meditation is a practice, and it requires you to make and take the time to do it. The great thing is, when you make time to do something as simple as this, on a consistent basis, you are in effect training your ‘self-discipline muscles’.
Self-discipline, like a muscle, can become stronger the more you use it. Similar to how we mentioned earlier, that being too casual with our self-disciplines can create a downward spiraling effect in our lives (where all other disciplines start to be negatively affected), the same cascading process can occur, but in the opposite direction when the smallest of disciplines (such as mediation) are practiced.
When you start your sessions they don’t have to take up much of your time either. A quality session can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. Of course, the duration is up to you.
Lastly, if you start this habit, there is a good chance you will also experience other great life enhancing benefits. For instance, people who regularly meditate, have reduced levels of negative emotions, reduced levels of stress, improved immune responses, and an increase in overall mental and physical health. Gaim.com has a terrific beginner’s guide to meditation, so if you are really curious about the ins and outs of this practice, we recommend checking it out.
4. Read Your Way to Self-Discipline
This last step is simple, but powerful. So don’t let it’s simplicity mislead you. So here it is… reading. That’s right, you can read your way to improved self-discipline. Here’s how.
You see, for almost any area in our lives that we want to improve we must first become students of that subject. And as students we must be open to learning as much about those subjects we wish to master. And in this case, you want to master self-discipline.
As such, you should strive to get your hands on as many self-discipline books as you can. Then become a student of those books. Devour them, pick them apart, and put the self-discipline wisdom you find in each book to work for you.
Like we said, simple….but powerful!
If you’re looking for a good place to start, give this list of popular books on discipline a shot.
Self-discipline can Lead to Happiness
One of our favorite mentor’s once stated that the key to getting all we want in life is through self-discipline. He stressed that for every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.
We’ve taken this advice to mean, that every discipline affects all other disciplines. When we show discipline, even in the slightest thing, like waking up early, or eating less food, we build our ‘discipline muscles’. These muscles, or rather, habits, start to carry over into other disciplines.
Before we know it, we find ourselves making our bed every morning, making it to meetings on time, actually finishing personal/professional projects we’ve been meaning to wrap up, doing more to help around the house, exercising more, etc., the list will go on and on.
Here’s a shocker, self-disciplined are happier because they eventually get their lives in order.
Related: The Link Between Self-Control and Success
Final Thoughts
The great news is this, you can start working on your increased happiness today. You have a starting point. The four steps we’ve included are not the end-all-be-all of habits to hone to improve your self-discipline. These four steps are simply an ideal place to kick off your new journey towards becoming more self-disciplined.
We’ve given you these bite-sized steps to improve your discipline for a reason. Our hope is that they will increase the likelihood that you will actually start following some of these steps. The goal is that you find it easy to begin your new self-discipline project.
Put these four simple disciplines into action, and you’ll be effortlessly doing the bigger disciplines in no time at all. Employ the disciplines that truly lead to significant life change, and consequently, significant happiness.
Thus, our last and final takeaway for you is this, that people with high self-discipline are happier than those without. Self-discipline can be your key to happiness.
So, if you are seeking ways to become happier, and if you are open to improving just about every aspect of your life in the process, it appears that there is no faster way to do both, than through the practice of self-discipline.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – Self-discipline is the key to happiness, and we have the key to self-discipline. So, if you want to be more self-disciplined then you may want to take a look at this tool.
Self-discipline is one of the world’s best kept secrets when it comes to success. Countless people who have accomplished many of their goals or have achieved meaningful success across a variety of different areas typically give credit to their self-discipline when asked, ‘how did they do it?’ As such, we’ve decided to pull together some of the absolute best self-discipline quotes of all-time.
“Discipline Is The Bridge Between Goals And Accomplishment.”
Our hope is that these discipline quotes will permeate your mind with one of the best kept secrets of some of the world’s highest achievers. We also hope that they’ll inspire you to believe, that with enough self-discipline, you too can achieve the impossible. So, if you’re ready for one of the most comprehensive lists of self-discipline quotes, then let’s dive in:
BEST 100+ SELF-DISCIPLINE QUOTES
1. “The great master key to riches is nothing more or less than the self-discipline necessary to help you take full and complete possession of your own mind.” – Napoleon Hill
2. “With self-discipline, most anything is possible.” – Theodore Roosevelt
3. “We do today what they won’t, so tomorrow we can accomplish what they can’t.” – Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson
4. “Winners embrace hard work. They love the discipline of it, the trade-off they’re making to win. Losers, on the other hand, see it as a punishment. And that’s the difference.” – Lou Holtz
5. “A disciplined mind leads to happiness, and an undisciplined mind leads to suffering.” – Dalai Lama
6. “Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all.” – George Washington
7. “The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.” – E.M. Gray
8. “The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline.” – Bum Philips
9. “Success is a result of daily disciplines compounded over time.” – Darren Hardy
10. “Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn
11. “There is no easy way. There is only hard work, late nights, early mornings, practice, rehearsal, repetition, study, sweat, blood, toil, frustration, and discipline.” – Jocko Willink
12. “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret and disappointment.” – Jim Rohn
13. “I could only achieve success in my life through self-discipline, and I applied it until my wish and my will became one.” – Nikola Tesla
14. “Self-command is the main discipline.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
15. “Without self-discipline, success is impossible, period.” – Lou Holtz
16. “One discipline always leads to another discipline.” – Jim Rohn
17. “He who lives without discipline dies without honor.” Icelandic Proverb
18. “The price of excellence is discipline. The cost of mediocrity is disappointment.” – William Arthur Ward
19. “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
20. “Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln
21. “Confidence comes from discipline and training.” – Robert Kiyosaki
22. “Success is a matter of understanding and religiouly practicing specific simple habits that always lead to success.” – Robert J. Ringer
23. “No man is fit to command another that cannot command himself.” – William Penn
24. “Most talk about ‘super-geniuses’ is nonsense. I have found that when ‘stars’ drop out, successors are usually at hand to fill their places, and the successors are merely men who have learned by application and self-discipline to get full production from an average, normal brain.”- Charles M. Schwab
25. “Success doesn’t just happen. You have to be intentional about it, and that takes discipline.” – John C. Maxwell
26. “Discipline is the foundation of a successful and happy life.” – Anonymous
27. “True freedom is impossible without a mind made free by discipline.” – Mortimer J. Adler
28. “Self-control is the chief element in self-respect, and self-respect is the chief element in courage.” – Thucydides
29. “You will never have a greater or lesser dominion than that over yourself…the height of a man’s success is gauged by his self-mastery; the depth of his failure by his self-abandonment. …And this law is the expression of eternal justice. He who cannot establish dominion over himself will have no dominion over others.” – Leonardo da Vinci
30. “The first and greatest victory is to conquer self.” – Plato
31. “We must do our work for its own sake, not for fortune or attention or applause.” – Steven Pressfield
32. “One painful duty fulfilled makes the next plainer and easier.” – Hellen Keller
33. “Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.” – Abraham J. Heschel
34. “Do not consider painful what is good for you.” – Euripides
35. “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.” – Jim Rohn
36. “Those who have nothing have only their discipline.” – Alain Badiou
37. “It is time to reverse this prejudice against conscious effort and to see the powers we gain through practice and discipline as eminently inspiring and even miraculous.” – Robert Greene
38. “With this magic ingredient, you can accomplish anything and everything you want to, and it is called self-discipline.” – Brian Tracy
39. “Do not bite at the bait of pleasure till you know there is no hook beneath it.” – Thomas Jefferson
40. “Great leaders always have self-discipline — without exception.” – John C. Maxwell
41. “Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind-you could call it character in action.” – Vince Lombardi
42. “Respect your efforts, respect yourself. Self-respect leads to self-discipline. When you have both firmly under your belt, that’s real power.” – Clint Eastwood
43. “Success is actually a short race – a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over.” – Gary Keller
44. “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.” – Grenville Kleiser
45. “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” – Seneca
46. “He who cannot obey himself will be commanded. That is the nature of living creatures.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
47. “It is not enough to have great qualities; We should also have the management of them.” – La Rochefoucauld
48. “Discipline really means our ability to get ourselves to do things when we don’t want to.” – Arden Mahlberg
49. “Your level of success is determined by your level of discipline and perseverance.” – Anonymous
50. “That aim in life is highest which requires the highest and finest discipline.” – Henry David Thoreau
Ready To Go Out and Conquer The World Yet?
We don’t know about you, but after reading through these first 50 discipline quotes, we are about ready to go out and conquer the world. But don’t stop reading just yet on our account.
By all means, continue pounding your mind with these last 50 self-discipline quotes. Let them saturate your mind so you can go forth and be victorious with your renewed levels of self-discipline!
51. “Self-discipline is about controlling your desires and impulses while staying focused on what needs to get done to achieve your goal.” – Adam Sicinski
52. “Discipline yourself to do the things you need to do when you need to do them, and the day will come when you will be able to do the things you want to do when you want to do them.” – Zig Ziglar
53. “All successes begin with self-discipline. It starts with you.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
54. “Self-discipline is that which, next to virtue, truly and essentially raises one man above another.” – Joseph Addison
55. “The more disciplined you become, the easier life gets.” – Steve Pavlina
56. “The center of bringing any dream into fruition, is self-discipline.” – Will Smith
57. “Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.” – Elbert Hubbard
58. “In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves…self-discipline with all of them came first.” – Harry S. Truman
59. “If it were easy to walk the path of self-discipline, we wouldn’t gain much from it.” – Glenn C. Stewart
60. “Discipline is built by consistently performing small acts of courage.” – Robin Sharma
61. “Discipline is the ability to control our conduct by principle rather than by social pressure.” – Glenn C. Stewart
62. “Self-respect is the fruit of discipline; the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself.” – Abraham J. Heschel
63. “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” – Jesse Owens
64. “Discipline is the silent force at work that breeds success. It requires only one thing; that you sacrifice time in things you enjoy.” – Anonymous
65. “We don’t have to be smarter than the rest; we have to be more disciplined than the rest.” – Warren Buffett
66. “Never believe a promise from a man or woman who has no discipline. They have broken a thousand promises to themselves, and they break their promise for you.” – Matthew Kelly
67. “If the self-discipline of the free cannot match the iron discipline of the mailed fist-in economic, political, scientific and all other kinds of struggles as well as the military-then the peril to freedom will continue to rise.” – John F. Kennedy
68. “Self-discipline is the root quality that will improve every aspect of your life.” – Jocko Willink
69. “Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace.” – Mike Ditka
70. “Self-control is strength, right thought is mastery, calmness is power.” – James Allen
71. “Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.” – John C. Maxwell
72. “Discipline without freedom is tyranny. Freedom without discipline is chaos.” – Cullen Hightower
73. “By constant self-discipline and self-control you can develop greatness of character.” – Grenville Kleiser
74. “Self-discipline is a self-enlarging process.” – M. Scott Peck
75. “Self control is the key to self esteem and self confidence.” – Laurance McGraw V
76. “Not being able to govern events, I govern myself.” – Michel De Montaigne
77. “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.” – John C. Maxwell
78. “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
79. “If you wish to be out front, then act as if you were behind.” – Lao Tzu
80. “Self-discipline creates a brighter tomorrow.” – Anonymous
81. “Success is created through the performance of a few small daily disciplines that stack up over time to produce achievements far beyond anything you could of ever planned for. Failure, on the other hand, is just as easy to slip into. Failure’s is nothing more than the inevitable outcome of a few small acts of daily neglect performed consistently over time so that they take you past the point of no return.” – Robin Sharma
82. “Self-discipline is an act of cultivation. It requires you to connect today’s actions to tomorrow’s results. There’s a season for sowing a season for reaping. Self-discipline helps you know which is which.” – Gary Ryan Blair
83. “Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thought. If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs. Self-discipline calls for a balancing of the emotions of your heart with the reasoning faculty of your head.” – Napoleon Hill
84. “Trophies should go to the winners. Self-esteem does not lead to success in life. Self-discipline and self-control do, and sports can help teach those.” – Roy Baumeister
85. “It’s all right letting yourself go, as long as you can get yourself back.” – Mick Jagger
86. “The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might and force of habit. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him—and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires.” – J. Paul Getty
87. “It is better to conquer self than to win a thousand battles.” – Buddha
88. “The good Lord gave you a body that can stand most anything. It’s your mind you have to convince.” – Vince Lombardi
89. “Talent without discipline is like an octopus on roller skates.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
90. “If we don’t discipline ourselves, the world will do it for us.” – William Feather
91. “When a man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will take care of itself.” – Albert Einstein
92. “No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.” – Harry Emerson Fosdick
93. “It’s never crowded along the extra mile.” – Wayne Dyer
94. “I think self-discipline is something, it’s like a muscle. The more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.” Daniel Goldstein
95. “Self-discipline is the magic power that makes you virtually unstoppable.” – Dan Kennedy
96. “He conquers twice who conquers himself in victory.” – Jyrus
97. “It doesn’t matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general: The bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.” – Harvey Mackay
98. “I don’t count my sit-ups, I only start counting when it starts hurting, when I feel pain, that’s when I start counting, cause that’s when it really counts.” – Muhammad Ali
99. “What it lies in our power to do, it lies in our power not do.” – Aristotle
100. “Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao Tzu
101. “I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is over self.” – Aristotle
102. “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” – Horace
103. “Self-discipline is the center of all material success. You can’t win the war against the world if you can’t win the war against your own mind.” – Will Smith
104. “In this life there are countless trails to self-realization, though most demand intense discipline, so very few take them.” – David Goggins
105. “If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself…self-discipline.” – Harry S. Truman
106. “What we do upon some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are: and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.” – H.P. Liddon
107. “The pain of discipline weighs ounces, but the pain of regret weighs tons.” – Darren Hardy
108. “Discipline is the refining fire by which talent becomes ability.” – Roy L. Smith
109. “Self-discipline is when your conscience tells you to do something and you don’t talk back.” – W.K. Hope
110. “Discipline is doing what you hate to do, but nonetheless doing it like you love it.” – Mike Tyson
111. “There is no magic wand that can resolve our problems. The solution rests with our work and discipline.” – Jose Eduardo Dos Santos
112. “There is no luck except where there is discipline.” – Irish Proverb
113. “Discipline is consistency of action.” – James C. Collins
114. “Discipline is wisdom and vice versa.” – M. Scott Peck
115. “Self-discipline is the No.1 delineating factor between the rich, the middle class, and the poor.” – Robert Kiyosaki
116. “Self-Discipline means living your life the hard way: resisting temptations and instant gratification, in order to receive bigger and better rewards in the future.” – Martin Meadows
117. “The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday
118. “Self-discipline is easy when you have a vision that pulls you.” – Nathan Lee Morales
119. “There are two disciplines in life. There is the pain of discipline and the pain of disappointment. If you can handle the pain of discipline, then you’ll never have to deal with the pain of disappointment.” – Nick Saban
120. “Self-discipline is the architect of accomplishment.” – The STRIVE
121. “The first step to getting rich requires discipline. If you really want to be rich, you need to find the discipline.” – Mark Cuban
122. “Self-discipline is what separates the winners and the losers.” – Thomas Peterffy
123. “The habit of self-discipline virtually guarantees your success in life.” – Brian Tracy
Bonus Discipline Quote
Bonus: Alright, here is our last and final discipline quote which we decided to include as a bonus because it does such a good job hitting the nail on the head when it comes to self-discipline. Enjoy!
“Discipline Equals Freedom.”
– Jocko Willink –
Final Thoughts
There you have it, some of the best discipline quotes of all time. We hope these quotes serve you in creating the habit of self-discipline. Let them guide you towards becoming your very best so you can achieve the success you’re striving for.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed this page and its self-discipline quotes, please consider helping us reach our goal if inspiring and uplifting a billion people by sharing our page or one of these discipline quotes with your inner circle. Lastly, if you enjoyed these quotes, we have a hunch you’ll love these Quotes on Effort, and you may even enjoy these Affirmations For Discipline.
If you’re seeking out motivational journals then this article is for you. We provide the reasons every person needs a motivation journal, along with a few of the top journals to use. However, before we reveal everything, here is what you need to know about motivation.
Every obstacle seems to move aside for the person who is truly motivated. For the truly ambitious and highly motivated, just about every goal is conquerable.
Yet, motivation can also be extremely elusive, even for the most ambitious among us.
“Ambition Without The Motivation to Act, is Called Day-Dreaming.”
Truth is, there are times when motivation seems to avoid even the best of us, appearing as something slippery, difficult to grasp, and hard to maintain. Unfortunately, when our motivation eludes us, we can feel trapped in a vicious cycle of procrastination and idleness.
But you know what? It doesn’t have to be this way. Motivation and goal achievement don’t have to be such a challenge for us. In fact, you can kill your procrastination woes forever and it’s simpler than you think.
If you consider yourself ambitious, or you’d like to… and the idea of “staying motivated” 24/7/365 interests you, then keep reading.
The Truth About Motivation and Achievement
They say motivation is the driving force by which humans achieve their goals. But oddly, way too many people struggle these days to find the motivation needed to reach their aims.
Why do they struggle? They struggle because they sit around and wait for motivation to come to them. If they’re not feeling “motivated”, they don’t act.
Sure, they act to get started on a big goal or dream when it’s new and the passion to achieve it is red hot. But, most people stop taking action on their goals when the fire and newness surrounding them fizzles out.
When most people have a bad day, or a day where they feel less than inspired to take action on their goals, they tend to not do much towards accomplishing them.
They let themselves get distracted or decide to consciously do everything except what they originally committed themselves to doing.
No doubt this is a problem, and it’s one we’ve all faced before. Unfortunately, less motivation leads to less action, and less action leads to less achievement.
But, there is a solution! And believe it or not, is this….
Ritual
Believe it or not, ritual is the little known secret that most accomplished achievers in the world use to motivate themselves.
Study any high performer closely and you’ll notice they don’t depend on motivation to strike before they get their work done.
Nope, they do the work they set out to do, motivated or not. Why? Because they’ve ritualized the process of motivation. Some create early morning routines, and others late night rituals. But it really doesn’t matter what time of day it occurs, so longs as they have a ritual to move their needle forward.
You see, what high achievers have figured out, is that goal accomplishment is easier to come by when habits have been created that force them to take action daily.
High achievers know that motivation never lasts, and so they find a way to ritualize their motivation.
And can you guess what one of the best ways to ritualize motivation is?
Use a Motivation Journal
If you guessed journaling, you’re right. Every ambitious person needs a motivation journal to help them create a ritual that motivates.
Create a ritual that motivates, and you’ll end up conquering goals like you never thought you could. Why?
Because when you discover a way to improve your motivation simultaneously increase your chances of taking more action. And more action leads to better results and more achievement.
So if you can get in the habit of using a journal, you may just end up conquering goals like some of the greats.
In fact, here are a some of those great people who have used the ritual of journaling to propel themselves to achieve some pretty extraordinary things.
Notable Journal Users
Check them out:
- The well-known productivity expert, author, and entrepreneur, Tim Ferriss is known to have a daily journaling ritual that he does every morning. He spends at least five to ten minutes jotting down his ideas and plans, which he states helps him “push the ball forward”.
- Jim Rohn, the world-renowned business philosopher journaled constantly. In fact, keeping a journal was one of his best recommendations for life change and getting on the right track for goal achievement. If you’ve ever studied or listened to any of Jim Rohn’s famous lectures, you’d hear him zealously encourage everyone to get into the habit of keeping a journal.
- Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s most famous founding fathers was a consummate journal keeper. He was known to keep methodical records of his ideas and musings on life, politics, his ideas, and business. But, most importantly, he would use his journals for the habitual learning, reflection, and accountability that lead him to become the highly accomplished renaissance man we’ve come to revere.
- One of the most talented individuals to have ever lived, Leonardo Da Vinci, was known to have filled tens of thousands of pages with note taking and planning. And look what that did for him, it helped him become one of the best innovators and artists the world has ever known. Journaling has something truly magical about it, especially when you use it as a mechanism to make progress on your ideas and goals.
- Albert Einstein wrote more than 80,000 pages in his journals. And well, he was one of the most accomplished physicists to have ever lived. Was it the journals that lead him to his great achievements? Probably not 100%, but, the journaling certainly helped him gain clarity around his ideas and improved his thinking; two things that did lead to many of his greatest theoretical accomplishments.
Reasons
There’s a good reason so many others have also documented why many of the world’s most successful people kept journals.
The reason is because journals are a great way to create a ritual around planning your day, brainstorming your big ideas, visualizing your success, and recording your gratitude… all things some of the most successful people do on the daily.
So, now you know what many of the greats have done to stay motivated to achieve. They used a journal.
Now, all you have to do is get out there and get yourself a journal, and then get to work.
If you don’t know where to start don’t worry. We will take care of you. We know a thing or two about motivational journals, as such, we’ll be listing our top rated motivational journals below.
Whichever journal you choose, we believe you can’t go wrong with any of the choices below.
Don’t Know Where to Start? Try These Motivational Journals
Note: We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
1. The Freedom Journal
Our first recommendation is The Freedom Journal. John Lee Dumas of the hit Podcast ‘Entrepreneur On Fire’ created the high-quality product known as The Freedom Journal.
This motivational journal acts as a personal accountability partner, and does a good job helping people stay motivated to accomplish their #1 goal in 100 days.
With that said, we think you’ll like the product. And if you don’t, they have a 100% money-back, 1-year guarantee. So, if you’ve yet to employ this journal, give it a look.
2. Best Self Motivational Journal
Our next suggestion is the Best Life journal. This journal is both a week life planner and a motivational journal tied into one. The Best Life Journal has a daily progress tracker to help you outperform your prior goals.
It also includes a section for cultivating daily gratitude and improving your positivity levels. This is important, because we are more inclined to take action on our goals when we feel good about our lives and about ourselves.
No doubt, it is a motivational journal worthy of your consideration.
3. The Strive Journal
In case you didn’t already know, one of the best journals designed specifically to help you stay motivated long enough to achieve your goals is The Strive Journal. The Strive Journal is a motivation journal that helps you persist long enough on your goals to see them through.
The components of the journal have been pulled together based off years of journaling and accomplishing goals, and it includes various aspects which are effective for creating feelings of accomplishment, which in turn can motivate you to keep making progress towards goals.
By and large, this motivational journal is terrific for helping you make move forward on your goals and not quit too soon. So, give it a try if you’re struggle with persistence.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, if you you’re looking to journal for motivation, then you can’t go wrong with the motivational journals recommended.
With that being said, the only thing standing between you and the achievement of your goals is the consistent and motivated action needed to bridge the gap.
So, go get yourself a journal and bridge that gap!
That said, if you enjoyed this page on motivation journals, then you may also find value in the following resources:
Best Motivational Books | Top Motivational Videos | Motivational Audiobooks
Obviously, there are other standard journals and even other motivation journals out there for you to use to help you ritualize your motivation. So by all means, do further research if you need to, and choose whatever works best for you.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
Just about every single person on earth has in some way, shape, or form struggled with self-discipline. Most people wish there was an easy pill, or wish there was some type of shortcut that would allow them to bypass the discipline required to achieve their goals, but, there isn’t one. Goals, and by extension, success, requires self-discipline. So, while there’s no shortcuts to success, the next best thing is a handful of highly effective self-discipline tips.
“Discipline Is The Bridge Between Goals And Accomplishment.”
That said, the more self-discipline you have, the more success you’ll have. It’s that simple. The hard part of course, is in the becoming. Becoming self-discipline is a challenge. But, challenges are meant to be overcome, and it’s why we’ve decided to pull together this list of the top 7 ways to improve self-discipline.
Our hope is that you’ll learn a thing or two from this short but powerful collection of self-discipline tips, and find more success in your life as you put them to work for you. So, if you’re ready to discover some of the absolute best way to improve your self-discipline levels, then let’s dive right in:
BEST 7 WAYS TO IMPROVE SELF-DISCIPLINE
1. Set Realistic Goals
Believe it or not, setting a goal is one of the most powerful self-discipline tips you could employ.[1] A goal well set can get even the most sluggish person among us moving, grooving, and on track.
However, you can’t just set any goal, it has to be a realistic one.
Certainly, when we have a critical mission it seems wise to take care of the larger tasks first. However, larger goals are harder to reach, which makes self-discipline more challenging.
For instance, you may want to lose a significant amount of weight; however, after training hard for a few weeks and seeing meager results, you may want to give up.
Therefore, it’s far better to commit to an intermediary goal like dropping a few inches a month, rather than choosing one that overwhelms you and causes you to throw in the towel too soon. Sure you can aim high, but aim for realistic intermediary goals first.
And as you reach those goals, then simply raise the bar a little higher. This one self-discipline tip alone will level-up just about anyone’s self-discipline.
Related: Keys to Accomplishing Your Goals
2. Avoid Temptation
When it comes to self-discipline, it’s best that we stay away from things that can take us away from our goal. If we are trying to quit something, like smoking for instance. Then it’s important to stay away from people who regularly smoke cigarettes.
By doing this, we won’t be tempted to partake in the temptation.
Similarly, if you’re trying to lose weight, get the junk food out of your pantry. Having easy access to the things that will get you off course will weaken your resolve faster than almost any other thing.
Of course, this tip can be one of the hardest tips to improve your self discipline if you don’t proactively remove those temptations first. So, be sure to keep those vices out of reach and out of sight.
Just remember, that when our vices are out of our reach, it’s so much easier to focus on other things, like our goals.
3. Do a Countdown
We’ve all had those pesky “I’ll do it later” moments; A.K.A. procrastination. Now, believe it or not, procrastinating is one of self-discipline’s greatest rivals. In a sense, they are antithetical to each other, meaning they are each other’s opposites.
Fortunately, there is a way to defeat self-discipline’s arch nemesis. Jus do this; when you’re feeling lazy or hesitant to follow through with your goal, conduct a simple countdown. Seriously, doing a simple count can help defeat procrastination.
Counting down from ten can get you out of bed for a jog or to get you off of the couch to cook dinner for your family. The countdown provides a bumper before springing into action. If necessary, you can yourself as much as a minute and work our way down, or you can go with just five seconds like motivational coach Mel Robbins suggests.
4. Reward Good Behavior
Unfortunately, we’re usually better at punishing ourselves for poor behavior than rewarding good behavior. From now on, we need to start giving ourselves praise when we stay on track to meet our goals.
Now, the rewards don’t have to be large or extravagant. In fact, your reward can be as simple as allowing yourself a cheat dessert after eating healthy six days of the week.
In some cases, rewards can be a break. it’s possible to overextend ourselves with little to no rest, especially with physical goals. Keep in mind, we don’t want to go overboard with rewards. Rewarding ourselves with every minor goal we meet, we can become counterproductive and even stagnant in our ability to self-regulate.
5. Recruit Someone to Help with Accountability
Having someone to support our efforts is great for a number of reasons. For one, there’s someone there to encourage and motivate us to move forward. It’s also great to have someone there to hold us accountable when we begin to slack.
Say we’re trying to go into business for ourselves. There’s a lot of work that goes into entrepreneurship, and procrastination can make or break our chances of success. If a friend or partner helps us stay focused, we’ll have an easier time getting to the finish line.[2]
Even when times are hard, they can give us the motivation we need as opposed to giving up.
6. Understand Your Weaknesses
Before you start your self-discipline journey, it’s important that you are honest about your shortcomings prior to setting any goals. Once you identify what you struggle with, you can work on overcoming and moving closer to what it is you are trying to achieve.
For example, you may have a hard time saying no to people you love, even if it gets in the way of accomplishing your personal goals. Or you may have enjoy having a few drinks every weekend to relieve stress; which is okay, but if you love doing it, and it gets in the way of your goals, then making a mental not of this weakness is key.
When you improve your clarity, you’ll improve your results. Overtime, you’ll learn how to turn your weaknesses into strengths.
Related: Self-Discipline Affirmations
7. Prioritize Wellness
This is easily one of the most important tips to improve self discipline. All of the hard work is irrelevant if we’re not taking care of our physical, mental, and emotional health.
When it comes to discipline, to get optimal results, we need to maintain healthy diets, get enough rest, and keep our stress levels at bay. Once we start prioritize wellness and our well-being, we’ll have an easier time and more energy to actionize our goals.
As a result, our ability to be more disciplined with improve across the board and almost effortlessly.
Bonus Self-Discipline Tip
Here’s our final self-discipline tip, and it’s one that all too many people over look. Most people likely overlook this tip because most people don’t like to read or study. But, learning and seeking mastery over any topic, is the best to ensure you become good at a thing.
When people want to get good at managing their money, they study money. When people want to improve their cooking skills, they research cooking techniques. And striving to improve your self-discipline is no different. It’s why you are on this page.
So, if you really want to improve your self-discipline, and take it to the next level by giving serious effort and time towards studying the various self-discipline books that are out there, and then practicing what you learned. Do this, and there’s no way you can’t but improve your discipline.
Final Thoughts
Repetition is the mother of skill, so here’s a final recap of the 7 best ways to improve self-discipline to find more success in everything you do:
- Set Realistic Goals
- Avoid/Remove Temptations
- Do A Countdown
- Reward Good Behavior
- Recruit An Accountability Partner
- Understand Your Weaknesses
- Prioritize Your Wellness
- Study Self-Discipline
We all can benefit from perfecting our self discipline. Using these tips for self-discipline will not only help with productivity, it will also benefit your overall wellness, your ability to connect with others, and most importantly, they’ll help you become more successful.
Best of all, you don’t have to do it alone. By reaching out to others, we can help each other fortify our levels of self-discipline, reach our goals, and avoid giving up on our dreams.
Till you reach your aims,
STRIVE
PS – If you enjoyed these self-discipline tips, then you’ll love this article on how to build self-discipline as well.
KEVIN O’LEARY’S NET WORTH + HIS IMPRESSIVE EARNING POWER
50+ BEST QUOTES TO INSPIRE YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS SUCCESS
THE DAVID GOGGINS SUCCESS STORY
BEDROS KEUILIAN’S NET WORTH AND HOW HE GOT SO RICH
100 BEST INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES ABOUT LIFE AND STRUGGLES
DAYMOND JOHN’S NET WORTH AND HOW HE GOT SO RICH
SELF-CONTROL IS STRENGTH
15+ BEST BOOKS TO BUILD SELF-DISCIPLINE AND MASTER SELF-CONTROL (2025)
20 BEST BOOKS ON CONFIDENCE TO SKYROCKET YOUR SELF-ESTEEM
100+ HARD WORK QUOTES TO HELP YOU GET MOTIVATED FOR WORK
100+ PURPOSE QUOTES TO HELP YOU FIND AND LIVE YOUR PURPOSE
100+ INSPIRING QUOTES ABOUT FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS
100 INSPIRING COURAGE QUOTES TO HELP YOU FEEL COURAGEOUS
