How I Stay Disciplined and Focused

I know my why/What I want

I know what I want my life to be like, and the way it is now is not it. Meaning, I’ve got work to do!

Now I’m not saying I don’t like my life. I have a great life. I’m proud of my successes thus far and I’m glad to be going through my experiences (including the struggles).

I have SO much to be grateful for, but that doesn’t mean I can’t want and work toward my dreams.

I want to be a full-time entrepreneur. I want to be debt free. I want to live my life how I want to live it. I don’t want to struggle financially ever again. And I want to continue to build a platform to inspire and help others reach their full potential.

I also enjoy feeling healthy and fit. It gives me the energy I need to accomplish my goals.

None of that can be achieved by procrastinating or sitting around. My drive to DO only gets stronger, because everyday I wake up thinking about what I want. 

I clearly define my priorities

I used to spend 1.5 to 2 hours in the gym, 5 to 6 days a week. The gym was my happy place and that’s how I wanted to spend my time. It was “me” time and where I felt my best, so I prioritized it.

Now, I spend about 45 minutes to 1 hour in the gym, 5 to 6 days a week. I’ve realized that I want to mainly prioritize my business, but still maintain my figure. Obviously working out is still a huge priority for me, but I’ve found a more reasonable schedule.

A few months ago I noticed I wasn’t feeling my best mentally either. At the same time I noticed I was having some gastrointestinal issues. I did some research on gut health and our brain, and learned about how connected they are.

While I have always consumed a healthy diet, I knew I needed to prioritize my gut health. I began implementing gut healthy foods and intermittent fasting. I am still intermittent fasting to this day because of how much better I feel. I’ve even been able to reintroduce “non gut healthy” foods into my diet, because the intermittent fasting makes such a difference for me.

Before intermittent fasting I had the following symptoms:

-brain fog
-fatigue
-weakness
-poor sleep
-frequent headaches
-gas/bloating/other gastrointestinal issues

It’s needless to say, all those symptoms contributed to procrastination. I felt too tired to work for hours on my businesses, and when I did I had trouble focusing.

Now that I have been intermittent fasting, I have way more energy, I don’t get headaches, and I can concentrate on my work. 100% worth it.

Another priority? Paying off my debt as quickly as possible. This means I don’t spend money going out, shopping, or crazy vacations. This is also why I work so hard on my business because it means more money to pay off my debts.

Your priorities aren’t going to look like mine. Of course your health and your finances should be a priority, but the way you go about it will be different.

Maybe instead you feel your healthiest when you jog for 30 minutes, 3 days a week. And maybe instead you prefer to spend your money on travel and fun.

When you know your priorities you make things happen.

It has become who I am

I have consistently been doing these things in my life that I now identify with them.

I am a full-time worker.
I am a weightlifter.
I am a vegan who eats healthy.
I am a small business owner.
I am someone who always tries to improve.

All of this has just become a part of me.

I’ve made my life more convenient

I used to commute about 23 miles to work everyday. I was spending well over 2 hours in traffic, five days a week. 

I have now moved into an apartment about 3 miles from my job. I commute a total of 30 minutes each work day.

I also happen to have a great gym right downstairs. I can change into my workout clothes after work and WALK down to the gym any time I want to.

Another convenience? I live RIGHT next to a Sprout’s Farmers Market, which is where I do the bulk of my grocery shopping. Every Saturday morning I just walk about 50 feet to go grocery shopping.

I chose this apartment for all of these reasons, despite it being a bit expensive. This move has greatly improved my life and the amount of work I am able to get done. To me it is worth the cost.

My routines are key

I thrive off routine and I credit my success and overall personal growth to my daily routines. They improve the quality of my life, even if some days I don’t want to do them. These routines have established a number of healthy habits in my life and allows me to get more done and do more in my day.

I have a morning routine, an afternoon routine, and an evening routine.

I stick to each just about every day. Sometimes I change them up a bit, but I definitely avoid skipping them if I can.

My morning routine:

-Wake up at 5 am
-Brush my retainers and begin drinking my 20 oz of water
-Plug in my bulb lights, roll out my yoga mat, and choose a 20 minute yoga video to follow
-Put about 1 teaspoon of coconut oil in my mouth, and set a 20 minute timer
-Take a shower (still oil pulling)
-Put on deodorant, a moisturizer that contains spf, and body lotion
-Get dressed
-Turn on my flat iron or curling iron, and fill in my eyebrows while it heats up
-Do my hair
-Brush my teeth
-Pack my lunch, fill my water bottle
-Finish the rest of my water while I work on my business for about 30 minutes
-Leave for work around 6:45

My afternoon and evening routine:

-Get home around 3:30/4
-Change into workout clothes
-Eat a pre-workout snack
-Work on my businesses for about an hour
-Workout for 45 minutes to an hour
-Get my mail
-Come back to my apartment and take a shower
-Get dressed in my pjs
-Make/warm up my dinner
-Eat dinner while watching a YouTube video
-Work on my businesses for 2-3 hours (until ~8:30/45)
-Sometimes I talk on the phone with my boyfriend
-Get ready for bed
-Get in bed, write down at least 3 things I’m grateful for
-Read until I feel sleepy
-Go to sleep

My days look very similar to one another because they help me maintain and reach my goals and stay focused on my priorities.

My routine may look unrealistic or absurd to some people, but that doesn’t matter. You can implement routines that fit YOUR lifestyle.

Routines provide structure. Once you start doing specific things over and over at the same time each day, they become habits. 

It brings me happiness and a sense of accomplishment

I can’t even begin to tell you how crappy and disappointed I feel in myself on the days that I tell myself I would do x, y, and z, but don’t do any of them. If I skip a workout or if I waste time on YouTube all night, I feel guilty. Simply put, not being my best self doesn’t make me happy.

On the other hand, when I have super productive days I feel amazing. I have a sense of accomplishment, relief, and confidence. I can go to sleep at night knowing I did something better for myself and my life. When I do everything in my daily routines, plus finish a whole blog post, film a video, edit and upload a video, etc. I feel complete.

I am a firm believer that progress = happiness. The only way I can make progress is by taking action. Whether that be in regards to my health, or my work.

Personal development in general has become my passion. I’ve always strived to be better and I don’t see any sign of slowing down. 

I also feel a sense of empowerment. I prefer to be disciplined and productive because at the end of the day I can say I did my best. I’ve grown to love and respect myself so much that I won’t even allow myself to get in my own way. I know that I can trust myself and my decisions, because I follow through with my word.

I keep myself motivated

Obviously no one is motivated every single day, including myself.

I can usually make myself go workout when I don’t feel like it by talking to myself, but that’s usually not even necessary because it is just a habit. 

Another way I motivate myself is by thinking of my future self…if I don’t do x, will I regret it?

I know that if I don’t go workout when I’m supposed to I’ll probably feel bad about it later. Same thing when it comes to getting work done for my businesses.

However, to keep myself motivated and to surround myself with positivity in other areas, I constantly listen to podcasts, motivational talks, or educational information. I typically listen to one while commuting, while I clean, sometimes when I workout, and when I am at work.

Podcasts are usually filled with information that benefit my businesses. I get really inspired from other people’s success stories and they make me want to go the extra mile.

Motivational talks can really give you a kick in the ass to stop making excuses and just do what you have to do to get where you want to be.

I’ve seen a lot of documentaries or stories of individuals with a disability (physical or learning) who lift weights, or started their own business, or just make a positive impact in general.

Those stories really make me realize, “Who am I not to give my best?”

I have realized I am in a place of privilege, so why would I not keep improving myself?

I can use all of my body parts to get stronger.

I have the money to buy healthy food and the ability to cook my food.

I have the internet where I can run a small business for a small investment.

I have millions of resources (books, articles, videos, etc.) that I can learn from to improve myself, what I eat, how I exercise, and my business.

There is literally NO excuse not to do what I do!

Not everyone has the exact same opportunities or privilege that I do, but I’m sure most people have a lot more than they think they do.

My gratitude has grown for my life. I can make something out of myself, even if that just means becoming a better person.