have more power in the moment,
and logic, which takes a longer view
of life. That speaks to me because I
have a sanguine personality, and it’s
very easy for me to live in the moment
and to want to have fun. I discovered
this early about myself, so I needed
a strategy to help me focus on the
long term and fight for future success.
I wrote about my answer to that in my
book Today Matters. I identified twelve
major decision areas for my life based
on my values, and I made a well-
thought-out, logical decision for each
of them. When I feel the emotional pull
to do what’s not best for me, I choose
to practice self-discipline by doing
these twelve things that are right for
me. If I do them with consistency, then
someday success in those areas will
show up for me. The emphasis here is
on consistency, because consistency
compounds.
3. Self-Discipline Makes Habit Your
Servant Instead of Your Master
Every person has uphill hopes and
aspirations. We all have uphill dreams.
But we also have a problem. Every
one of us also has downhill habits. And
those are often what keep us from
making the self-disciplined climb to
higher ground. Why? Because habits
have power over us. The habits we
have make us or break us. We choose
which.
Every leader faces two challenges:
First, how can I turn my downhill habits
into uphill habits? Second, how can I
help the people I lead to change their
downhill habits into uphill ones? So the
question is, how can we turn downhill
habits into uphill habits that serve us
instead of enslave us?
The first step in changing your habits
is to change your thinking. If you can
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