Latest / Mental Per4mance Daily with Adam Rutz / Saban: Self-Discipline
Transcript
- Adam Rutz: Knowing what you need to do and actually having the discipline to do it are two totally different things. And Nick Saban understood that as well as anybody. Throughout his coaching career, Saban taught that self-discipline really comes down to two decisions we make every single day. Number one, can you make yourself do something you know you're supposed to do even when you don't feel like doing it? And number two, can you stop yourself from doing something you know you shouldn't do even when you really want to? Now think about how often those two decisions show up throughout your day. You know you need to prepare for that one important meeting, but you'd rather put it off. You know you should get that workout in, but you're really tired. Or you know that scrolling through your phone is taking your attention away from something important, but you keep doing it anyway. And here's a mental performance lesson in it. Discipline is the ability to make decisions based on your standards rather than Your temporary emotions. Think about a football player. He doesn't always like studying film, working on his technique, or giving maximum effort during another practice rep, but those are the exact behaviors that prepare him to execute when the game is on the line. And the same principle applies to anything you're pursuing. Having a great process means very little if you don't have the discipline to consistently execute it. So here's your challenge today. Identify two decisions you need to make. One thing you know you should be doing that you've been avoiding, and one thing you know you shouldn't be doing that's holding you back. Then create a specific plan to follow through on both. Because every time you make the right decision, you're reinforcing the identity and standards of the person you're trying to become. You don't build discipline by waiting until you feel ready. You build discipline by repeatedly making the right choice, especially when it's difficult. So let's get after it. Mindset, process, discipline, execution, that's mental performance daily.