Self discipline looks different in every area of life — and I am significantly better at some than others, which feels like an honest place to start. November 14th... How do you maintain self discipline?

Um… what on earth are you talking about? There are so many avenues this can go.

• Do you mean, not saying things that will upset others?
• or not eating what you aren’t supposed too?
• picking up after myself?
• calling my Mom 5 times a day?

I have to say for each they are a little different. I have always been pretty darn honest with those closest to me, not thinking too much about the outcome, but I like to think that those people love me for that quality, no? When it comes to people I know less well or strangers, I keep my mouth shut. I am actually pretty much the opposite to them. I get nervous to share my opinion and am concerned that I may say the wrong thing…so I say nothing. For example, right now we are living with my brother. I freaked about the fact that he was on his computer working instead of playing outside with his kids…I flipped my lid, told him to close the stupid electronics, put his computer and phone away and get outside. He said, I know I know. He and his wife actually had a bet going to see how long it would take me to let the honesty come flowing and blow about something/anything. Ha. I have no idea who won the bet, but I lasted a good 3 weeks. Cheers to me. On the flip side, when the workers at Target were standing together, talking extremely loud, using curse words and talking nothing of work and everything about their crazy Friday night, I kept my mouth shut even though the language was definitely not for my 5 year old nephew to hear (or anyone shopping in the store for that matter). They are at work, close your trap and work, or speak in whispers about your personal lives. Eating what I am not supposed too… everything is okay in moderation, right? Actually, my appetite right now is really weird and I don’t really like sweets (it must be the hormones). But, drive by a checkers and my french fry radar is on high alert. Then my self discipline does click on and I remember everything I gain I really have to lose in 5 months, so I would rather just gain what the baby is needing, not what I think I need. I pretty much pick up after myself because I hate living in a mess and clutter. Adam and I have written a few times about how our favorite part of moving is when we get to get rid of everything.

• Moving to Korea
• Moving to Denver
• Moving to Japan
• Moving to Korea again

So on a daily basis, I like things clean. Granted, Adam will tell you my cleaning methods are absolutely nuts. He actually hates them. Basically, I throw everything into the middle of the room or the hallway and start from scratch to put it all away. He has to leave the room, or the house when I do this because it makes no sense to him. Calling my mom 5 times a day, I do this without hesitation, requires no self discipline and is actually extremely natural to me. How do you maintain self discipline?   To find out more about Lisa’s Health Challenge…

Related articles

• Day #14 – How Do You Maintain Self Discipline? (sheslosingit.net)

Q: How do you maintain self discipline with food during pregnancy? A: The mental trick that works best is remembering that everything gained now has to come off later — which makes the Checkers french fry radar easier to ignore most of the time. The appetite changes of pregnancy actually help more than expected since the usual sweet cravings largely disappear leaving you wanting what your body actually needs rather than what habit reaches for automatically.

Q: How do you stay honest with people you love without damaging relationships? A: It is a balance that looks different with every person. With those closest to us honesty comes naturally and immediately — sometimes too immediately as the three week bet my brother and his wife had going about how long I would last before saying something confirms. With strangers or acquaintances the calculation reverses entirely and silence becomes the default even when something genuinely needs to be said.

Q: How do you maintain an organized home when you move frequently? A: By keeping very little and being ruthless about clutter before it accumulates. Our favorite part of every move has been getting rid of things — Korea Denver Japan Korea again — each time arriving somewhere new with less and feeling lighter for it. Day to day organization comes from a cleaning method Adam finds completely maddening involving everything going into the middle of the room first before being properly sorted and put away. It works perfectly and he has learned to leave the house when it happens.

Q: How do you balance honesty with self discipline in relationships? A: True self discipline in relationships is less about what you say and more about when and how you say it. The honesty itself is rarely the problem — the timing and delivery are everything. Learning to choose the right moment for difficult truths rather than the most convenient one is an ongoing practice that nobody fully masters.

Q: How does living abroad affect your sense of self discipline and routine? A: It strips away the external structures that normally enforce routine — the commute the gym schedule the social obligations — and forces you to build discipline entirely from the inside. Some habits flourish in that freedom and others dissolve completely. Living in Korea made us more active more adventurous and more intentional about how we spent our time while simultaneously making it harder to maintain the ordinary social connections that feel automatic at home.

---