The Quickest Way to Build Discipline (Which Equals Freedom)

To quickly build discipline, Navy SEAL Jocko Willink suggests focusing on the following key areas:

#1 SET A FIXED WAKE UP TIME:

This helps adjust to sleep debt and establish a new rhythm. You can improve your quality sleep by going to bed earlier and waking up early. This is a hard one for me personally as I consider myself a night owl.

But the times that I have had to wake up early on a schedule for more than a week has helped me to improve my sleep. Sleep is the foundation of everything that you do. You can workout every day and get crappy sleep and you will not be able to perform at your highest level.

#2 COMPETE AGAINST YOURSELF:

This internal competition can motivate you to push through challenges. You can sign up for a local 5k or 30k trail run.  Find something that is interesting to you and set a defined goal.

Photo: Justin Smith finishes 100 miles in 24 hours at the Lil Dog Backyard Ultra in Belt Buckle Tennessee. He is standing next to the Endurance Artist Lazarus Lake.

#2 Eliminate distractions:

Focus on your goals by reducing external stimuli. Do not watch the evening news before you go to bed. Dont doom scroll through instagram on your phone. These are just quick examples but you know what is distracting you.  Find that one thing and eliminate it. You have the ability to make decisions and reduce unnecessary stress in your life.

Instead read from a good book every night before you go to bed.  You will be astounded in 30 days how much better you feel.

#3 EXERCISE REGULARLY:

Physical activity is a key component of discipline. Take 30 minutes every day to do something to improve your health. Walking, running, gardening, lifting weights, you pick an activity and do the work.

It has been proven that exercise produces hormones called endorphins. Sometimes called “runners high” these natural chemicals make you feel better while exerting yourself.

You may not feel like working out – but a quick jog of 100 yards gets your blood flowing and helps to change your mental state.

Photo: Glenn Bland on top of the highest peak in the continental United States – Mount Whitney (14,505 feet).

Glenn is a perfect example of exercising regularly, building discipline and competing with yourself.

#4 EAT RIGHT:

This is one of the main components. You can work out all you want but you must eat clean nutrition. If you put dirty gas in a sports car it will run like crap.

Your body and mind work the same way. Eliminate junk food and excess sugar. Quit alcohol (or reduce down to a light beer). No more soda or extra desserts. This is the pathway to good health that supports your body and mind.

Take charge of your nutrition by going to the grocery store yourself. Take it all home and cook your own meals. Not only is it far less expensive than a restaurant but the quality is much higher.

It only takes an hour or two (max) a week to shop and meal prep for the whole week. What have you got to lose?

#5 PREVENT INJURIES:

Stay active and maintain your physical health. Take care of your body with proper hydration and mobility/stretching exercises.

Drinking a half gallon of water a day and 5 minutes of stretching pays off dividends in the long run. A daily routine allows you to develop a strong foundation for discipline, leading to greater freedom in your life.

Photo: Hector Robles on the ascent of Pico-Colon in Columbia.

Hector is a great example of staying active, preventing injuries and training the proper way.

BOTTOM LINE:

About the Author:

Are you looking to achieve big goals? Do you have a big event on the horizon and you want to finish the drill?

Wanting to complete a Spartan, GORUCK, Tough Mudder or climb a big mountain?

Get individual coaching from former Navy SEAL Coach Brad McLeod. Check out SGPT coaching here:

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