The Critical Connection Between Goals and Discipline
All goals aren’t created equal. Unquestionably, some goals matter more to you than other goals. Moreover, this hierarchy in your goals is not defined by what you say, it’s defined by what you do.
So, when a goal dictates your behavior that goal matters to you. When a goal doesn’t dictate your behavior, that goal matters far less. In other words, the goals that matter most to you give you discipline. Goals that don’t matter that much to you don’t give you discipline.
This is the connection between goals and discipline that is critical to your success in pursuing a goal. Goals that matter to you most limit your freedom.
For example, if your goal is to be a world class athlete, you aren’t free to eat or drink what you want or go to bed and wake up when you want. If your goal is to be a CEO of a billion-dollar company, you aren’t free to take a vacation anytime you want or binge watch Netflix each night until 3 am. If your goal is to be a great parent and spouse, you aren’t free to hang out with friends partying every weekend.
It’s true that many people with goals like these don’t desire these contrasting freedoms. However, it’s also true that many people fail to achieve these types of goals because they don’t have the discipline. Furthermore, when you don’t have the discipline to limit your freedoms as you pursue a goal, then that goal doesn’t matter to you as much as you may think.