What if you had a friend who said they would meet you for coffee but every time they came 30-minutes late or not at all?
Little by little, you would start to not trust them.
The same can be said for yourself.
Keeping your word
For a few weeks, I have been struggling to wake up to workout. In the last year, I created a morning routine where we wake up at 5 a.m., workout, shower & get ready, get Brooklyn up and ready for daycare, then I have 45-50 minutes for me.
I can spend that time going for walk, writing a blog (like I am now), reading, scrolling through social media - whatever.
You may think it's no big deal for me to sleep in. I can take a break, if needed.
I agree with you - to a point.
It's important to rest your body. Take time to recover. However, I'm learning that every small "break" or excuse that I give myself to not do something, I start to lose confidence in myself that I could do it in the first place.
It counts
As the example above of the friend who didn't show up for you, the first few times might just be life. We all get busy. We all make priorities. It is good to make sure you aren't burning both ends of the stick.
Yet, every time you make an excuse that you need those 10 minutes of sleep or you don't have to write a blog because no one reads it. Those thoughts are negative, explaining to you why you can't do something you set out to do.
It's fear.
No excuses
I am not an expert on how to develop self discipline. I think it is a learned behavior. You have to continually practice it to get where you want.
Just like I explained in "Building confidence like a muscle," you have to work at it. I used 75 Hard to gain discipline and confidence with myself. Every day, I kept my word I knew that I could do it.
Mel Robbins, an American lawyer, television host, author, and motivational speaker, wrote a book about "The Five Second Rule." She explains that you can use the Rule and its countdown method to break any bad habit, interrupt self-doubt and negative self-talk, and push yourself to take the actions that will change your life.
Another author, entrepreneur and photographer, James Clear, wrote a fantastic book called "Atomic Habits," explaining how much those "tiny habits" can can lead to "remarkable results."
There are resources and experts available to help if this is an avenue where you are struggling.
Show up
You are going to have times when you do not follow through on what you said you were going to do. That is OK.
The important thing is that you recognize it, and realize that you can do it.
You can wake up early.
You can write that blog post. Just did!
You can run that marathon.
You can get that promotion.
Whatever you want to do, I truly believe you can do it.
Take those small actions and keep going. No matter the setback, keep going. Even if you take a wrong turn, pick a new path and keep going.
Stay simply confident,
Kayla