Virtue is not a mushroom, that springeth up of itself in one night when we are asleep, or regard it not; but a delicate plant, that groweth slowly and tenderly, needing much pains to cultivate it, much care to guard it, much time to mature it, in our untoward soil, in this world’s unkindly weather. It’s not your fault that you can’t control your finances — it’s those evil corporations that spend millions on advertising and leave you powerless to change.

365 Days With Self-Discipline: 365 Life-Altering (PDF)

I think that even if I read this book spread over a full year, I'd still not enjoy it. There are a few good tips and ideas in here, but the book gets quite repetitive and there's some contradictions in the viewpoints. For example, on one hand the author states that treating yourself to a "cheat meal" once is a slippery slope to failure, but regularly "taking at least a weekend away" to go on a break from your responsibilities is supposedly A-OK and keeps things sustainable. Besides that there's quite some hammering on "health" which really just feels like fatphobia and toxic diet culture in the form of "if you're disciplined, that means you're not fat and lazy and disrespecting yourself". Not a direct quote, but most definitely the message conveyed. Days With Self-Discipline is a practical, accessible guidebook for embracing more self-discipline in your everyday life. You'll learn how to do this through 365 brief, daily insights from the world's brightest minds, expanded and commented. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. While external circumstances can affect you, in the end, whether or not they control your life depends on you. Just like James Allen said, when you achieve self-mastery, no one (and no thing) will have the power to enslave you.I sometimes get flak for my goals. “You’re already slim. Why do you still watch your diet?” “Why do you save so much money? You should live it up!” “Can’t you live like a normal person, instead of waking up at 5 a.m. and going to sleep as early as 8 p.m.?” Analyze your goals and assess whether your plans employ self-discipline to help you build a habit or if you’re using self-control as a means of temporarily sustaining an impermanent change. Think of self-discipline in the same way. You plant its seeds the moment you decide it’s time to stop coasting through life and prioritize long-term rewards over instant gratification. However, this moment is just the very beginning; as in the case of planting the seed for a new flowering plant, there’s a lot of time and energy you’ll still need to invest to make it bloom. If you want to have a beautiful plant, you can’t water it occasionally or move it from one place to another every other week. Consider a weak-willed person who, when faced with a challenge, immediately opts out. How likely is this person to achieve anything substantial in life if their primary value is to feel comfortable? How is this person going to manage a crisis that they must face? Even a relatively insignificant problem can become an insurmountable obstacle for a person who’s been living a sheltered life and always avoided what’s difficult or disagreeable.

365 Days With Self-Discipline Quotes - Goodreads 365 Days With Self-Discipline Quotes - Goodreads

On the other hand, a person who thinks of self-discipline as a form of freedom will welcome opportunities to practice his or her self-control. This isn’t just an inspirational book; most of the entries deliver practical suggestions that you can immediately apply in your life to become more disciplined. Here are just some of the things you’ll learn: The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part; the important thing in life is not triumph, but the struggle; the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.Masukan-masukan dalam buku ini umumnya memang cocok atau mendukung usaha yang lagi saya tempuh, juga saya coba selaraskan dengan nilai-nilai dalam ajaran agama yang saya anut. Namun saya tidak selalu setuju. Kadang-kadang masukannya terasa terlalu berat, meragukan, atau tidak bersesuaian dengan pengalaman saya. Diperlukan kebijaksanaan dalam menanggapi masukan-masukan yang diberikan, bukan untuk ditelan mentah-mentah melainkan mesti disesuaikan dengan kondisi/situasi sendiri. Sekiranya masih timbul pikiran-pikiran negatif terhadap positivity yang diumbarkan buku ini, bisalah itu digarisbawahi untuk bahan praktik CBT :D Moreover, giving up certain pleasures (such as unhealthy food and sitting all day in front of the TV) can lead to immense improvements in one’s well-being. Maintaining a healthy weight and beneficial nutritional habits doesn’t just lead to physical improvements; it also affects self-esteem, reduces the risk for depression, and improves your body image 24

365 Days With Self-Discipline 365 Life-Altering (PDF) 365 Days With Self-Discipline 365 Life-Altering

I’m an author of several books about self-discipline, but it doesn’t mean that I never struggle with self-control. I deal with the same problems as every other person, and the only difference is that I’ve discovered how to handle some of them a bit more effectively. I’ve had my fair share of failures, found myself unable to resist some temptations, and I jeopardized some long-term goals because I succumbed to the allure of instant gratification. Let’s imagine that you’re torn between buying a new piece of furniture you don’t really need but like a lot, or saving that money for your retirement. In ten years, would you rather have a crumbling piece of furniture you rarely use or — thanks to the power of compounding — twice the amount you’re now pondering on spending?How often do you avoid effort when it would have been beneficial to face it? If you’re content to live an easy, effortless life, are you also content to live your life without ever realizing your full potential as a human being that has evolved to thrive in a challenging environment? I value self-discipline, but creating systems that make it next to impossible to misbehave is more reliable than self-control. This experience has made me realize that no matter what they say about money not bringing happiness, at least several months’ worth of income kept as savings in the bank means the difference between a relatively stress-free life and the soul-crushing fear when you can’t cover an urgent, important expense.