The definition of self discipline is: The ability to make yourself do the things that should be done, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not!
Your ability to develop the habit of self discipline will contribute more to your salon success than any other personal quality. Business owners who enjoy great success have the ability to think long-term, delay gratification in the short term so that they can enjoy even greater rewards in the long-term.
The key word is “sacrifice”. It is the ability to sacrifice immediate pleasure in the present so that you can enjoy rewards later on. Self discipline means self control and self mastery; it doesn’t mean that you don’t enjoy pleasurable experiences in your day to day life, but it does mean that you have them after you have done all the necessary hard work and completed your key building business tasks.
Self discipline, the common denominator of business success, is a habit that you learn with practice and repetition. If you want to achieve all that is possible for you, there are 7 disciplines you must develop:
- Daily Goal Setting:
Focus and concentration are the essential qualities for success. Every morning, take 3 – 5 minutes to write out your top goals in the present tense. By writing out your 10 goals at the beginning of each day, you will programme them deep into your subconscious mind. It will stimulate your mind and make you more alert. Throughout the day you will see opportunities and possibilities to help you move more rapidly toward your goals.
- Daily Time Management:
Take a few minutes, to plan out every activity for the coming day. Always work from a list and always think on paper. The more you plan, the better you use your time and the more you accomplish.
Organise the list by priority before starting work. Use the A B C D E method to set priorities. This is based on considering the consequences of doing or not doing a particular tasks.
A = Must do – serious consequences for not doing
B = Should do – mild consequences for non-completion
C = Nice to do – no consequences for non-completion
D = Delegate – everything you possibly can
E = Eliminate – everything you can to free up more time
The discipline of time management spreads to all you other disciplines and has immediate benefits in the quality of your work life.
- The Discipline of Courage:
Courage makes you do what you should do, teaching you to deal with your fears rather than avoiding them. It is another habit that is developed by practicing whenever it is required. The biggest obstacle to business success is fear of failure. Make a habit of confronting your fears rather than avoiding them. When you confront the fear and move towards it, the fear gets smaller and you become braver.
For practice, identify one fear in your life and then discipline yourself to deal with it, to confront it, do whatever it takes as quickly as you possibly can. This will give you the courage and confidence to go through your life and deal with every fearful situation.
- Excellent Health Habits:
The key to health can be summarised in a few words – rest well, eat less and exercise more! Design and imagine your ideal body in your own estimation and let this become your goal. Develop the habit of exercising daily, best done in the morning before you have time to think about it.
- The Discipline of Hard Work:
The harder you work, the luckier you get! Develop the reputation for being a hard worker and work all the time you work – in other words, don’t waste time. Continually as yourself “what is the most valuable use of my time right now”? Whatever your answer, work on that every hour of every day.
- Develop the Discipline of Persistence:
The greatest test of self-discipline is when you persist in the face of adversity, and you drive yourself forward to complete your tasks 100% no matter how you feel. Your persistence is the measure of your belief in yourself and in what you are doing. Persistence is actually self discipline in action. Self discipline leads to improved self esteem and a greater sense of personal power – all very useful in running a successful salon business.
- Time for Important People in Your Life:
Relationships are everything. Be sure that in climbing the ladder of success, you do not find it leaning against the wrong building. Make time for your relationships every day, no matter how busy you get.
There are many benefits of practicing self discipline:
- The habit of self discipline virtually guarantees your success in life.
- You will get more done, faster and of higher quality than with any other skill.
- You will be paid more.
- You will experience a greater sense of self-control, self reliance and personal power.
- The greater your sense of self discipline, the greater your self confidence and the lower will be your fear of failure and rejection. Nothing will stop you.
- With self discipline, you will have strength of character to persist over all obstacles until you eventually succeed.
Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright and promising.
Positive thinking is contagious. People (including clients) pick up on your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and business success and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.
In order to make positive thinking yield results, you need to develop a positive attitude towards life. Effective positive thinking that brings results is much more positive than just repeating a few positive words, or telling yourself that everything is going to be all right. It has to be your predominant mental attitude. It is not enough to think positively for a few moments, and then let fears and lack of belief enter your mind. Some efforts and inner work are necessary.
Learn to think positively and expect only favourable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances change accordingly.
