I’ve been reading Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 by John C. Maxwell, and one of the chapters that really stood out to me was the chapter on self-discipline.
It made me think about something we see all the time, both in the gym and in life.
We are constantly looking for the next thing.
A new diet.
A new training program.
A new challenge.
A new morning routine.
A new goal.
A new way of doing things.
Sometimes we absolutely need to change our approach.
But very often, I think we already know what works.
The challenge is having the discipline to keep doing it.
That was probably my biggest takeaway from this chapter:
Success is often less about doing something extraordinary and more about having the discipline to keep doing the ordinary things that work.
Think About What Has Already Worked
Here’s a question I think we should ask ourselves more often:
When things were going well in my life, what was I doing?
Think about your health.
Maybe there was a period when you felt really good.
You were training consistently.
You had more energy.
You were sleeping better.
Your clothes were fitting better.
You felt stronger.
What were you doing during that period?
Chances are, it wasn’t anything revolutionary.
Maybe you were training three or four times a week.
You were preparing your meals.
You were eating enough protein.
You were drinking more water.
You were going to bed earlier.
You had some structure around your week.
Then life got busy.
One missed session became three.
Meal prep disappeared.
Bedtime got later.
Slowly, the habits that were producing the result disappeared.
And eventually we start looking for a new solution.
Maybe you don’t need a new solution.
Maybe you need to go back to doing what worked.
We See This at CrossFit Alberton All the Time
As coaches, we get to watch people’s journeys over years.
And something becomes very obvious.
The members who consistently make progress rarely have some secret strategy.
They show up.
They train consistently.
They listen to their coaches.
They work on their weaknesses.
They recover.
They make reasonable choices with their nutrition.
Then they repeat those things for a very long time.
That’s it.
It isn’t particularly exciting.
But it works.
This is one of the reasons we make such a big deal about our Committed and Super Committed boards.
We’re celebrating consistency.
We’re celebrating the person who keeps showing up.
Because we know what happens when someone strings enough good weeks together.
They get fitter.
They get stronger.
They move better.
Their confidence grows.
Training becomes part of their life.
Boring done consistently beats exciting done occasionally.
The Basics Are Usually the Basics for a Reason
Most of us know roughly what we need to do to improve our health.
Train consistently.
Eat mostly good-quality food.
Get enough protein.
Drink water.
Sleep.
Move your body.
Recover.
There are obviously individual circumstances, and coaching helps us work through those.
But for many people, the answer isn’t hidden.
The difficulty is repeating those basics when they stop feeling exciting.
Anyone can be motivated for a week.
The real challenge comes three months later.
Six months later.
Three years later.
Can you still do the basics?
That’s where self-discipline becomes incredibly important.
Look Back Before You Look Forward
Here’s something practical you can do today.
Before setting another goal, take ten minutes and look backwards.
Think of a period when you were doing well.
Then ask yourself:
What was I doing consistently?
Write it down.
Maybe you trained every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Maybe you packed your gym clothes the night before.
Maybe you prepared lunches for work.
Maybe you walked every evening.
Maybe you had a regular bedtime.
Maybe you booked your classes at the beginning of the week.
Maybe you had regular goal-setting sessions with your coach.
Don’t dismiss those things because they sound too simple.
They might be exactly why things were working.
Five Ways to Get Back to What Works
1. Identify Your Proven Habits
Write down three things that have helped you before.
Keep them simple.
For example:
• Train three times per week.
• Prepare tomorrow’s food tonight.
• Get to bed by 10pm.
You don’t need ten new habits.
Start with the ones you already know make a difference.
2. Put Them Into Your Week
Good intentions aren’t enough.
If training works for you, book your sessions.
If preparing food helps, put time in your calendar to do it.
If sleep makes a difference, set a time to start getting ready for bed.
Make the important things visible in your schedule.
We often say we’re going to train “when we have time.”
For most busy people, that time never magically appears.
Make the time.
3. Stop Changing the Plan Too Quickly
This is a big one.
We do something for two weeks and immediately start wondering whether something else would work better.
Give good habits time to work.
You don’t need to constantly change your training.
You don’t need another diet every month.
You don’t need a new challenge every Monday.
Sometimes the best thing you can do is stay with a good plan long enough to experience the result.
4. Measure Your Execution
Instead of constantly asking:
“Am I getting results?”
Ask:
“Am I doing the things that produce the result?”
Did I train three times this week?
Did I prepare my food?
Did I get enough sleep?
Did I follow through on what I said I would do?
Results can take time.
Execution is something you can measure today.
That’s why we celebrate things like class milestones and our Committed Club.
Every class is another vote for the person you’re trying to become.
5. Get Back to It Quickly
This might be the most important one.
You will fall off.
We all do.
You’ll miss training.
You’ll have a weekend where your nutrition goes completely sideways.
Work will get busy.
You’ll get sick.
Your routine will be disrupted.
Self-discipline isn’t never getting knocked off course.
It’s shortening the amount of time you stay off course.
Miss Monday?
Come Tuesday.
Had a bad meal?
Make the next one better.
Had a terrible week?
Start again today.
You don’t need to wait for Monday.
You definitely don’t need to wait for January.
Just get back to what works.
This Applies to More Than Fitness
The more I thought about this chapter, the more I realised this principle applies everywhere.
Think about your marriage.
What did you do when your relationship felt really strong?
Maybe you spent more time together.
Maybe you talked more.
Maybe you put your phones away.
Do more of that.
Think about your business.
What activities have consistently produced results?
Calling clients?
Following up?
Speaking to your team?
Doing great work?
Do more of those.
Think about your finances.
When were they under control?
What habits were you practising then?
Go back to them.
We can spend so much energy trying to reinvent our lives that we forget to repeat the things that have already proven themselves.
You Probably Know More Than You Think
I think this is an important point.
Most people aren’t starting from zero.
You’ve lived enough life to have some evidence.
You know certain things make you feel better.
You know certain habits make your week run better.
You know what happens when you train consistently.
You know what happens when you sleep properly.
You know what happens when you prepare instead of leaving everything until the last minute.
So perhaps the question this week isn’t:
“What else should I be doing?”
Maybe it’s:
“What do I already know works that I’ve stopped doing?”
That’s a very different question.
And sometimes it’s exactly the question we need.
Your Challenge This Week
Don’t overhaul your life.
Don’t create a 15-step plan.
Don’t start searching for another solution.
Take ten minutes.
Think about a time when things were going well.
Identify three things you were doing consistently.
Then pick one and bring it back this week.
Book the three training sessions.
Prepare tomorrow’s lunch.
Go to bed earlier.
Take the walk.
Have the conversation.
Do the small thing.
Then do it again.
And again.
And again.
Because extraordinary results are often built from very ordinary actions repeated for a very long time.
You might already know what works.
Now comes the hard part.
Have the discipline to keep doing it.
Small steps. Done consistently. That’s where we start.
👉 Book your FREE No-Sweat Intro:
https://calendar.app.google/dgVTnCrZS4mj4uq18
