In society at large, there is an enduring idea that to be successful, you have to lead a “disciplined life.” Therefore, if you’re not yet as successful as you want to be, then that’s an indicator you’re not as disciplined as you need to be. That’s incorrect.
“You don’t need to be a disciplined person to be successful. In fact, you can become successful with less discipline than you think, for one simple reason: success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right. The trick to success is to choose the right habit and bring just enough discipline to establish it. That’s it. That’s all the discipline you need.”
– Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Rather than striving to be a disciplined person – however you might personally define that concept – you should work to develop productive habits which will take you in the right direction. Social scientists have found it takes about 66 days, on average, to form a habit and make it a permanent part of your life.
Be careful to try and build only one habit at a time. That will keep you fully engaged so select a habit which will move you in the direction you want to head. Highly successful people are not world-class performers at everything. Rather, they tend to be selective in the few significant habits they do build. To join their ranks, you’ll need to do something comparable.
The best feature of habits is they take less energy to maintain than they do to build in the first place. Once you enshrine success patterns into your habits, they will become second nature. This will simplify your life. When you have productive habits as part of your everyday routine, your life becomes less complicated and the way forward comes into clearer view.
“Contrary to what most people believe, success is not a marathon of disciplined action. Achievement doesn’t require you to be a full-time disciplined person where your every action is trained and where control is the solution to every situation. Success is actually a short race— a sprint fueled by discipline just long enough for habit to kick in and take over.”
– Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
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