Struggling To Stay Disciplined? Read These 3 Books
3 books to 10x your discipline
Everyone wishes they could be more disciplined, I know I do.
We struggle to attain and maintain discipline because it’s our natural tendency to run from the hard, uncomfortable things and we try our best to take the easier, most comfortable option.
But this avoidance of discomfort and our inabilities to remain disciplined in difficult times is slowly ruining our lives and in the long run, the disciplined path is the only path.
If you feel like you’re struggling to remain disciplined, then I’d highly suggest you read these 3 incredible books…
Discipline Is Destiny — Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday is one of my favourite authors and I’m yet to read a bad book of his, but if I had to choose a favourite Ryan Holiday book (so far) it would be Discipline Is Destiny.
In Discipline Is Destiny, Ryan covers many of the key problems as to why and how we struggle to maintain and attain discipline in this un-disciplined world we find ourselves living in. Just like all other Ryan Holiday books, there are a boat load of different historical examples to explore and demonstrate what discipline actually is and how we can reach it.
Discipline Is Destiny made it into the best 5 best books I read last year, it’s morphed me into a more productive and disciplined human being and I’m pretty adamant it will have the same affect on you too.
Here are a few quotes from Discipline Is Destiny…
“You don’t have to always be amazing. You do always have to show up. What matters is sticking around for the next at bat.”
“In a world of distraction, focusing is a superpower.”
“We must practice temperance now, in times of plenty, because none of us know what the future holds- only that plenty never lasts.”
Can’t hurt me — David Goggins
David Goggins is a former US Navy SEAL. He’s also an ultra marathon runner, ultra-distance cyclist, public speaker and a former Guinness World Record holder for the most pull-ups in a 24 hours period (4030 to be precise). If you’ve never heard of Goggins, then I’m sorry, you’ve literally been living under a rock!
In his memoir Can’t Hurt Me, Goggins takes us through his horrendous, abusive, poverty stricken childhood, to becoming the the only man in history to complete elite training as a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and Air Force Tactical Air Controller.
The remarkable thing about David’s story however, is that he wasn’t always this self-disciplined, ridiculously hard working and mentally tough guy we see and admire today. He was an overweight, depressed man with no future, which makes his insane story even more amazing.
I know it sounds cliché but David’s story goes to show the ridiculous amount of potential we are all leaving on the table.
For me, Can’t hurt me is by far and away the most inspiring book I’ve ever read in my life (so far). It’s unbelievable! And I promise, after you’ve finished reading it you’ll feel like you can do absolutely anything, no joke!
Here are a few quotes from Can’t Hurt Me…
“You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft, that you will die without ever realizing your true potential.”
“The most important conversations you’ll ever have are the ones you’ll have with yourself.”
“It won’t always go your way, so you can’t get trapped in this idea that just because you’ve imagined a possibility for yourself that you somehow deserve it. Your entitled mind is dead weight. Cut it loose. Don’t focus on what you think you deserve. Take aim on what you are willing to earn!”
Deep Work — Cal Newport
Cal Newport is an American author and Professor in computer science at Georgetown University. Newport is responsible for writing several different New York Time best sellers including: So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Digital Minimalism and of course, Deep Work.
Distractions are everywhere in our day to day lives from social media, emails, mobile phones, the list goes on and on.
In Deep Work, Cal Newport proposes that we have lost our abilities to deeply focus on cognitively challenging tasks. In the book, Newport gives us a fantastic, comprehensive guide into how we can develop the necessary skills to drastically boost our productive output and remain disciplined when everyone else around us struggles to do so.
If you feel like you’re forever being pulled from pillar to post and struggle to remain disciplined/focused on a single task then I’d highly recommend you pick yourself up a copy of Deep Work. I guarantee you’ll love it!
Here are a few quotes from Deep Work…
“If you don’t produce, you won’t thrive — no matter how skilled or talented you are.”
“Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love — is the sum of what you focus on.”
“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”
Happy reading,
See you next time,
Yours sincerely,
Tom