My good friend and REBT colleague Dr. Windy Dryden is an expert on self-discipline. He makes the point that there are three main principles to self-discipline:
“It is worth doing.”
“I am worth doing it for.”
“I only make it harder for myself if I don’t do it.”
In Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy we emphasize the importance of doing what is best in the long run and being a long term hedonist. You will experience greater pleasure in life if you are able to delay instant gratification for more gratification in the long run. Humans love to be indulgent, give into inertia, and back away from self-discipline. Achieving your personal goals involves doing things you do not necessarily want to do in order to get results you do want in the long run. REBT takes a no nonsense approach to goal attainment. You had better think sensibly about the work and practice involved in achieving your personal goals. You had better accept the frustration and discomfort involved in achieving your personal goals. You are well advised to remember that doing what is required to achieve your personal goals is worth doing, that you are worth doing it for and that you only make it harder for yourself if you do not do it. So stop thinking about achieving a goal and push yourself to do something to get closer to attaining your personal goal.