How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

In this article and video, we’ll talk about how highly successful people develop powerful self-discipline. If there was one character trait that could assure success to a person, it would be self-discipline, followed closely by hard work. But you know what they say about hard work. It’s not really about blind hard work but more about disciplined perseverance in the right direction that can help you become successful and achieve your goals.

Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

  • In this part of the video course, we are going to look closely into how self-discipline has quite possibly been the single most common trait among successful personalities from all walks of life.
  • For this, I have singled out some eminent and highly accomplished individuals, who have contributed so much to their respective fields by their success.
    Their success stories have made their names synonymous with their profession/ industry.
  • And mind you, I won’t be doing a subjective analysis of how they excelled in their chosen field, but rather objectively assess how self-discipline has helped them become what they are today and how much they value self- discipline.

These chosen individuals belong to the world of politics, business, sports, technology, and entertainment from the different parts of this world.

  • All this just goes on to further underline the significance of having self-discipline and how it is, without doubt, one of the biggest assets you can have regardless of your profession or area of expertise.
  • So, let us begin!

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

Arnold Schwarzenegger

  • This man, quite literally, is one of the biggest advocates of self-discipline and hard work.
  • He has explained on countless occasions how he owes his achievements to self-discipline and commitment.
  • He was one of the most decorated bodybuilders; hands down, one of the biggest bankable stars in Hollywood, when he was an actor full-time; a well-loved governor of the state of California, the Governator, as he was fondly called; he excelled in every challenge he took on.

In numerous videos and articles, Mr. Schwarzenegger has stressed how self-discipline was the single most important aspect in his journey.

  • It is quite easy to observe the benefits of self-discipline, in the context of his career as a professional bodybuilder.
  • The sport requires total commitment towards the cause and self-discipline is the link that holds everything together.
  • The fact that he won more titles during his career than a lot of his competitors put together, just goes on to show that his sense of self-discipline indeed was very high.
  • And his success story does not end there.

After retiring from professional bodybuilding, Mr. Schwarzenegger pursued a career in Hollywood, and in that process, faced a new set of challenges.

  • Being an immigrant and new to acting, he had to deal with a good amount of prejudice and outright rejection.
  • But he persevered and slowly, with his hard work and sense of self-discipline, became one of the biggest action movie stars.
  • Schwarzenegger went on to prove to the world that restrictions exist only as challenges to be broken when he made his next career shift and moved to politics.
  • Here again, his commitment, perseverance, and self-discipline took him to the highest public office, an immigrant can hold in the United States that of the Governor and he held the post of Governor of the State of California for multiple terms.

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

Jack Ma

  • If there is one name that is synonymous with the current age of Internet-based business models, it is that of Jack Ma.
  • Born Ma Yun, this Chinese business mogul is the founder and head of Alibaba, a conglomerate of various businesses that have their founding on the Internet.
  • Frequently making it to the list of top 5 most influential business icons of our generation, Jack Ma’s story of success has its base in his strong sense of self-belief and self-discipline, even in the face of multiple rejections and failures.

His beginnings were more than just humble.

  • Right out of school, he struggled a lot to gain college admission.
  • He took 3 attempts to pass the entrance exams to his Alma Mater.
  • Fresh out of college, he applied for 30 different jobs and unbelievably, got rejected by every single one of them.
  • He even applied to Harvard 10 times, facing rejection every single instance.

As you can see, he was someone whose self-belief and perseverance knew no limits.

  • His initial few business ventures also ended up as failures before he hit gold with the online marketplace that he started and the rest, as they say, is history.
  • Friends and acquaintances close to Jack Ma say that throughout his life, he has been an avid practitioner of meditation and the Chinese martial art form called Tai Chi, which is more a practice of self-discipline than anything else.
  • Ma himself has praised the virtues of Tai Chi, doing his part in spreading awareness on the benefits of this martial art form, and expressed his desire to be known as a practitioner and teacher of Tai Chi than an Internet business mogul.
  • He is another excellent example of an individual, who fought against all odds and challenges, thanks to his strong sense of discipline.

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

 Serena & Venus Williams

  • Any list of successful people would be incomplete without a mention of the Williams sisters.
  • They have truly made a mark for themselves in tennis through their achievements and become cultural icons, standing as a source of inspiration to millions of people across the globe.
  • Every aspect of their life and game is awe-inducing and the only key to their achievements besides their skills, are their sheer hard work and self-discipline.

Playing a highly demanding sport at the age of 35 and 36, Serena and Venus are re-writing history every moment they set foot on a court.

  • They have been tasting success continuously on a game, which is ironically infamous for burning out even world-class athletes in even their twenties, due to the physical toll it demands.
  • And the very fact that these sisters have not given up yet is astounding and inspiring.
  • Between the two of them, the Williams sisters hold a humongous 30 Grand Slam titles and that is not counting the Olympic medals and Doubles and Mixed Doubles titles.

It can be said, without a doubt, that the game of tennis has never been the same since the Williams sisters made their debut.

  • And they continue to dominate their games at this age when their adversaries would have long retired.
  • Overcoming extreme physical injuries and illnesses (Venus has been diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome and Serena has been plagued by knee and back injuries) and refusing to bow down to cultural and gender inequalities, they have made it clear, on multiple occasions, that they owe all their success to the countless hours of hard work and self-discipline behind each game.
  • Often hitting the court before the sun is up; it is indeed their sheer dedication to the sport and extreme amounts of discipline in practice, which has given them the honor of being real game-changers in the world of tennis.

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

Michael Phelps

  • With a record of 28 Olympic medals to his name, 23 of which are gold, Michael Phelps is the highest decorated Olympian to date and arguably the greatest athlete as well.
  • And beneath the aura of success and achievements is the man, who by his admission once went five years without taking a single day off from training and the rigorous schedule of a competitive athlete.

That is 1825 continuous days of hard work and practice!

  • And if that is not the very definition of self-discipline and commitment, I can’t quite imagine what else could be.
  • Phelps has been described by his coach, on multiple occasions, as someone who complements his extraordinary sporting abilities with insane levels of focus and commitment.

His rigid and unwavering focus and determination have been praised by his teammates and foes alike.

  • His almost obsessive pursuit of perfection has been often reported in the media and he truly lives up to it.
  • He is said to have trained for up to 8 hours every day, without missing a single training day, and spends the rest of the time resting and meditating.
  • All this for a man, who admittedly suffers from ADHD, is indeed awe-inspiring.
  • It again goes on to prove that being intrinsically gifted with a certain skill can take you to great heights, only if those skills are complemented with hard work, self-discipline, and perseverance.

How Highly Successful People Develop Powerful Self-Discipline

Warren Buffet

  • Warren Buffet holds the official title of the CEO and Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and unofficially he is known as the greatest and the most successful investor of our times.
  • With huge stakes in many of the biggest public firms in the world, Buffet is considered to be an investment wizard by the financial sector.
  • Often asked about the secret to his success, Buffet has attributed it to prudential investment tactics and self-discipline, which has helped him choose wisely and reap the maximum benefits from his investments.

Exercising discipline in financial matters is extremely crucial for sustaining financial stability and he has proven it over the years!

  • Known to be a man who invests in a company rather than just its stock, Buffet has earned wide respect and admiration for his disciplined and humble lifestyle in the backdrop of his billionaire status.
  • On many occasions and forums, he has spoken about the importance of self-discipline and honest hard work as the key ingredients to success in the business world.

    I hope these success stories motivate you to start disciplining your mind and body.

The Art of Discipline

Benefits of Self-Discipline

Why Poor Discipline Can Destroy You?

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