By Taryn Brown, City of Dallas.
2015-2017 SAPinsight Leader Board Member.

It takes discipline. Invest in You!
The new year is the time when many of us make commitments with resolutions to make a fresh start, set goals or renew our spirit.  Why not begin 2018 with a pledge to invest in yourself?  Whether your goal is to work out or learn a new skill, investing in you requires not only time but discipline.
This month’s City of Dallas Fitness Newsletter features an article titled “It’s Discipline You Are Missing, —Not Motivation”. Motivation is defined as “a person’s desire or willingness to do something. Motivation is based on emotions and emotions are fickle and unpredictable. Relying on motivation alone to carry you through can backfire. However, self-discipline refers to: One’s capacity to control his or her feelings and inclinations in pursuit of what aligns with their values.” While motivation relies on one’s desire and willingness, discipline uses grit to do what needs to be done regardless of one’s emotional state. Self-discipline is the number one ingredient for success.
Amy Morin, author of the international best seller “13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do” offers six strategies to increase your self-discipline:

1. Acknowledge Your Weaknesses – As a Super User, you know your area of expertise. But having access to a Super User Network that allows you to reach beyond your area of influence to leverage the larger body of expertise.  Super Users are not experts in all areas, rather they are trained to be resourceful and seek out the larger community to get answers to quickly resolve issues.

1. Establish a Clear Plan – Morin says no one wakes up one day suddenly blessed with self-discipline. Instead, you need a strategy.  Super Users come equipped with leadership, communications and project management skills.  These are all the necessary ingredients to implement a successful strategy for personal and professional success.

1. Remove the Temptations When Necessary –  Morin contends that although we’d all like to believe we have enough willpower to resist even the most alluring enticement it only takes one moment of weakness to convince ourselves to cave to temptation. Whether it’s too much “Facebook” time or skipping that workout commitment, void the pitfalls that take you out of your “A” game. City of Dallas Super User Leader Ulundra Bowers says, “Temptations are a distraction designed to deter us away from success.” In spite of temptations, I ALWAYS choose caution and to do the RIGHT thing. A temporary error in judgment is not worth the risk to my good name and integrity.

4. Practice Tolerating Emotional Discomfort–  Tolerating emotional discomfort can be difficult especially when providing support on projects or influencing change. If we do not “power through” our discomfort, we cannot not be effective in our roles as Super Users. This kind of effort gives us the emotional intelligence when dealing with change personally or professionally.

5. Visualize the Long-Term Rewards– Seeing a project or goal from the initial “kick-off” to conclusion is very rewarding. A personal achievement is equally satisfying.  Visualize yourself meeting your goals and reaping the rewards that you’ll gain by practicing self-discipline.

6. Recover From Mistakes Effectively –We all make mistakes. Morin says making mistakes is part of the process to becoming better. The way you recover from those mistakes is what’s most important.  The key is to acknowledge your mistakes and move on from them with even more resolve to do better next time.

Think about all the success that you have had in life, getting an education, starting and raising a family, landing a big promotion and being a Super User, self-discipline was the key to reaching your goals. It’s easier to have discipline when you are surrounded by a larger community that supports and gives you the tools to succeed. We’re here for you!