8 Examples of Self-discipline Explained with ease | Greatcrackers.com
If you’re wondering what are the 8 examples of self-discipline. Let me nudge you out of your wonderland because self-discipline is a practical subject. And, of course, countless real-life examples call for your self-discipline.
A typical example is publishing my recent book, which took me almost a month. And from my experience, I can tell you that self-discipline takes more than writing amazing goals on your goal sheet or notepad.
In any case, in this article, you’ll learn some practical examples and tips to help you build self-discipline, especially if you’re finding it difficult to follow your goals.
Self-Discipline Examples
Every practical example of self-discipline would involve you delaying some form of gratification. Like the successful kids in the Marshmallow experiment did, as you learn soon.
But remember how you needed to catch up with an appointment early, and you had to wake up early.
You’ll agree that such is a real-life example, demanding you to exercise your “self-discipline” muscles. And to do that, you may need to set your alarm for 5 am. So you can get out of your bed and do your early morning exercise and get ready for the appointment.
Marshmallow Experiment
In 1972, Walter and his team published the outcome of an experiment on hundreds of children between three and six years. This experiment is titled the Marshmallow experiment.
The researcher brought each child into a room. And sit him on a chair with a marshmallow on a table.
Any child that stayed for 15 minutes while the researcher was away received another marshmallow. That was the deal.
But those who couldn’t bear the sight of the marshmallow in front of them ate it. And thus, they didn’t get any extra for their inability to hold up or delay gratification.
8 Examples of Self-discipline
Examples of discipline in life are many because we have lots of decision-making daily. Some resolve our work, business, and family relationship. Even in the minutest affair in our lives, we think about it.
I mean, it takes self-discipline to commit to your goal of being a good father, mother, daughter, son, or businessman.
With that said, are some examples of self-discipline in everyday life explained:
#1. Exercising Daily
Everyone wants to exercise regularly, preferably every day.
According to a study in 2021, 23.4 percent of men got involved in daily exercise, sporting, and recreational activities.
That’s to tell you that only a few people can apply self-discipline to their physical fitness goals. Even with its health benefits. But through self-discipline, you can summon the required mental toughness to meet your healthy living goals.
You may want to get a copy of my book on self-discipline.
#2. Treating people with respect
Indeed, nobody wants to get treated disrespectfully. But not everyone knows how to treat others in their sphere with respect. So for such individuals, learning to do that is more or less taking up a new habit. And that can be daunting.
However, it’s understandable that certain things can happen in your day that triggers your negative emotions, which may influence how you talk to people. But with self-discipline, you can decide not to let your emotions control you or get you treating people against your goal: to
#3. Complete a degree program
Enrolling in a degree program at the university is one thing, and it’s another to determine whether to complete it. That’s because you would have to put through many hurdles on your way. From attending several classes, some of which come with practical homework.
And as it were, many of these assignments or projects may warrant you spending hours in your library or your room reading. But aside from that, there are piles of exams to write and pass before you finally get certificates.
But with self-discipline, you can achieve that bit by bit, from your first year to your final year.
#4. Fighting against excessive use of smartphone
In the modern age, it’s sad to admit that many are closer to their phone than their family members. And it takes self-discipline to overcome smartphone addiction, and over four(4) billion global internet users are susceptible.
And sadly, this can adversely affect one’s productivity if not carefully managed. In other words, you require self-discipline to control the amount of time you spend online and on social media.
You can read the pros and cons of social media on mental health to help you stay productive. Without allowing social media to shatter your effectiveness.
#5. Keeping Your room and workspace clean
How our room and workspace appear are somewhat reflective of our organizational skills as individuals. Imagine you have a friend whom you’ve visited a couple of times, and on those occasions, the reality you’ve met is untidiness.
You won’t feel impressed by that. Right?
But that wouldn’t erase the fact that such a friend would need the self-discipline to keep his room or workspace clean. It doesn’t matter if he’s self-employed or working under someone.
#6. Doing Your chores
House chores seem to be part of our lives, except for those who have house help to do and worry over everything that they need to do. You’ll agree that most chores at home are not fun. They include washing clothes, keeping the lawns clean, ironing clothes, cooking, etc.
Quite frankly, I still push myself to do some of these things. Because nothing can keep one’s life on hold.
Imagine you have an outing to go to tomorrow, but you can’t find anything suitable to wear. Not because you don’t have clothes, but because the few most suitable ones are dirty or rough. While that sounds ridiculously awkward, it can hold you down from going to the party or outing, as the case may be.
The few options you have are to wash your clothes yourself, take them to a dry cleaning store, or buy a new one for the event from a boutique. Interestingly, your best option from these alternatives would depend on your financial power.
That said, you’ll need to exercise your “self-discipline” muscles to execute your chores at home on time and appropriately.
#7. Meet Deadlines
Meeting deadlines is all about keeping promises. With deadlines, your credibility and integrity are at stake. It doesn’t matter if you’re a freelance entrepreneur, student, teacher, father, or anything you can think of. We all, at some point, have deadlines to meet.
As a student, it could be a deadline for submitting an assignment or school project or to return some library books you borrowed. And for a businessman, it could be a loan you took from a business associate, family member, or financial institution.
You can see that self-discipline is like a chord, connecting the different aspects of our lives. From personal, career, and social to family life.
#8. Go to bed on time
If you can take a study of how many spend their night, don’t be surprised when you realize that 3 out of every 4 adults are glued to their phone the whole night. Some are either engaging with others on social media or researching something online. Or perhaps, playing games like candy crush or otherwise.
And as a result, many of them find it difficult to disengage from their phones to get adequate 8-hour sleep as prescribed by medical practitioners. In other words, they end up going to bed late– which can impact their health negatively. You can now see it takes self-discipline to gain control over the use of your phone and, of course, how you spend your time to the advantage of your health.
In addition to the 8 Examples of Self-discipline
#9. Reading daily
There are lots of benefits of reading everyone can indeed enjoy. But their question is how many are willing to dedicate some time for it, say 30 minutes or an hour daily?
I can bet on that… only a few. You’ll agree reading this blog post is a practical example of you engaging in self-discipline.
#10. Brushing your teeth
As trivial as this may sound, many need the discipline to brush their teeth early– and probably for the second time each time. Yes, many sincerely wish they can brush their teeth every night before bedtime. But somehow, they find it hard to keep up with that as a habit, even if they succeed on the first day.
You can decide to get my book on self-discipline.
Signs of a Disciplined Person
Spotting a self-disciplined person is a no-brainer, just like spotting lazy folks. But some things highly disciplined people have in common. To start with, they can commit to their goals and promises through their words and actions. Also, they are good at setting boundaries for themselves and others and taking charge of their emotions.
Other signs of a self-disciplined fellow include:
- He has clearly defined goals
- Ready and willing work habits that push him toward his goals
- He exercises patience with a strong sense of emotional stability
- He’s not impulsive; a disciplined fellow thinks before acting or saying things
A final thought on 8 Examples of Self-discipline
There are hundreds of examples of self-discipline in daily life you cite. That’s simply because our lives are filled with many decision-making processes that are critical to well-being and success.
Recall how you got your first job or business. It started with an idea– to apply for that job or start a business. Right? And the ensuing action followed through self-discipline.
With that said, what other real-life situations do you think we need to apply self-discipline to?
To learn more about self-discipline, you can get this book.
