Discipline Won't Cure Your Laziness

I will start by telling you this isn’t the next productivity hack, it isn’t a shortcut to happiness, and it sure isn’t nonsense either.

But it will show you the missing link between where you are and where you want to be.

To bridge the gap you must learn three facts, understand them, and use them daily.

1. Discipline is only a tool, not the foundation.

2. Your self-image determines how you act and react.

3. Change your identity to unlock your true potential.

Okay, that’s fine and all, but “what does it mean?”

You’ve probably tried every productivity tip, hack, or magic spell out there to get where you want to be, but does it ever last?

I guarantee you might go strong for a week, maybe even a few months, but eventually you end up right back to square one.

Just imagine someone who desires to have money.

Now imagine them also believing they are poor, don’t deserve nice things, and aren’t even smart enough to get that kind of money.

Do you think they would ever get it?

HECK NO!

There is a clear cognitive dissonance here, and the mind can never move forward with two conflicting ideas.

Even Jesus said. “No one can serve two masters…”

No amount of “discipline can override a deep-rooted subconscious belief about one’s self.

It’s like trying to drive a car when it’s in neutral gear.

You can floor the gas pedal all you want.

And you’ll go nowhere.

I’ve done this way too many times before and I want to save you the trouble of wasting energy, getting nowhere, and feeling defeated.

Discipline only works with you when it aligns with your identity.

Trust me.

“Okay, I get that, but what is so important about self-image?”

Think of this for a moment:

Have you ever noticed how quickly people go back to old habits after swearing they’d change?

They might have even signed a contract with themselves, or a family member.

My dad used to do this all of the time, swearing he’d stop drinking and lose weight and…

The list goes on.

This happened too many times to count.

It’s because there is real power in the self-image.

Since my father never saw himself as “fit”, “healthy”, or “addiction free”, it never actually came to pass.

Your self-image is like an automatic machine that your thoughts, feelings, and actions all churn out of.

This ‘automatic self-image machine’ controls everything about your habits and behaviors.

But you’re in luck.

There is a way to disable this old machine and create a new one.

“How do I create a new self-image?”

Glad you asked…

Who do you need to become to reach your goals?

Recently I struggled with actually writing words when I told myself I would every day.

This caused me to think about why I just can’t sit and write.

What is it about me?

I wasn’t a ‘writer’ yet.

For years I wanted to get more into writing, apart from the daily journaling I do, and just put words out there.

Even write just to work my creative, ideation, and wordsmithing muscles.

One day I just decided, I am a writer.

It’s not that easy of course.

But I believe that at any given moment, you can completely change your life just by deciding to become the person you daydream about.

Who that person is? I can’t answer for you.

But rest assured, once you embody this new version, this new concept of self, this new identity, you will naturally see old habits as a waste of time and begin to embrace the ones you want to get better at with ease.

It comes easy because you don’t have to learn to like doing these new things, your new self already adores them.

If that is hard to picture, keep pondering it throughout the day today.

It will make sense soon.

Here are some little nuggets to get you going on your journey to transform yourself:

1. Visualize the version of yourself who already has what you want.

2. Act as that person would act.

3. Reinforce it daily through affirmations and habits.

“But wait… there’s more?”

Yes, just one more :)

“But I thought you said if I just changed my identity that I wouldn’t have to…”

Yeah, yeah.

Heard that coming from a mile away.

Identity shifting is not the only thing you have to do.

There is one more piece to the puzzle.

That is consistency.

Once you’ve become this new version of yourself and you begin to effortlessly do the things that felt hard before, just keep at it.

Keep doing those things every day until executing your goals becomes a habit.

Once it becomes a habit, it will be more than effortless, it will be mindless, you will crave these new actions before long and it will even hurt you to not do them.

You will feel like a part of yourself is missing.

Remember to start small and give yourself small wins.

Build on these success habits and grow your discipline once your concept of self has changed, solidifying that change for your long-term benefit.

These changes don’t always happen overnight, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen overnight for you.

Deepen your understanding of your current self, create a new version, and decide.