MAL 22/18 MAL 22/18 | Page 88

LEADING YOU
LEADING YOU

Self-Discipline : The Key To Breakthrough Performance

By Caroline Nyamwaya Mwazi

The alarm goes off . Kamau hits the snooze button and rolls over – and continues sleeping for another 30 minutes . He then jumps out of bed , splashes water on his face , dresses for work and dashes off to catch a matatu for the 45 minute commute to work .

On the way he berates himself , “ Late again ! And I promised myself that I would keep time in the New Year . This is the 5th time in February alone , and the month is not even half-way through ! I hope there ’ s no traffic . I really need to be more disciplined and stop all this chaos .”
An hour before , his neighbor Kasyoka , woke up , showered and dressed in clothes he had laid out the previous night . After breakfast he tidied up , strolled to the bus stop and took a matatu which drove smoothly in light traffic . Getting to town early , he had time to read the newspaper before starting work half an hour before the official start time , way ahead of his colleagues .
The New Year is fast fading into the distance . If you ’ re like most people , you made some resolutions . How is it going ? While no one starts out intending to fail , the fact is that most people do not followthrough on their resolutions , ultimately ending up with nothing substantial to show for their lives , except disappointment and regret for missed opportunities .
It ’ s painful to go through life knowing that you had the potential to accomplish great things , but did not , simply because of lack of self-discipline – not consistently doing the things that lead to success . That is too high a price to pay and on this column we look at the better alternative .
Dictionary . com defines discipline as activity , exercise , or a regimen that develops or improves a skill . It has also been defined as doing what needs to be done , when it needs to be done , whether or not one feels like it .
While we know what ’ s good for us and

The New Year is fast fading into the distance . If you ’ re like most people , you made some resolutions . How is it going ? While no one starts out intending to fail , the fact is that most people do not follow-through on their resolutions , ultimately ending up with nothing substantial to show for their lives , except disappointment and regret for missed opportunities . yields positive results , we don ’ t always do it . We don ’ t always feel like going to class , getting our work done in time , keeping our living or work spaces organized , saving money , exercising , eating healthy , getting adequate rest or staying in touch with the important people in our lives .

Consider any global icon - Michael Jackson , Richard Branson , Usain Bolt , David Rudisha , Lupita Nyongo , Albert Einstein . Their success is intentional . Those who have risen to prominence in their fields are highly focused and disciplined . There are no short cuts ! One of the proverbs in the Bible says that the hand of the diligent makes rich and another says that a skillful man will stand before kings , not before obscure men . Self-discipline is necessary for developing diligence and skills .
Why are we in-disciplined ? Psychologists have several reasons for this , but concur that it begins from how we see ourselves . At face value we may say that we don ’ t feel like it , but on a deeper level , it could be that we really don ’ t believe that we deserve to succeed , so we do not pursue success .
Lack of motivation and discipline could also come as a result of previous failure and disappointment , resulting in depression where one loses their self-drive and finds effort towards specified goals both overwhelming and challenging . Added to this may be the habit of laziness picked up in childhood , adolescence or youth . These result in procrastination and avoidance of
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