How to Develop Self Discipline

I googled that title with the intention of finding some academic support to my musings/excuses of late. You see, I find it difficult to remain disciplined about how many hours I work in my home studio. I now understand why the self employed often rent a studio somewhere outside their homes. As you are starting to see, this is an ongoing struggle to feel like I'm pulling my weight around here and not just dinking around the house. It would help if I made some kind of wage that matched the amount of time I put in. Am I a valid contributor to grown-up society as a maker of silly toys? We don't ask these kinds of questions and it is rhetorical in theory. Still, somewhere in the basement shadows of my mind, I secretly ask.

In my google search I found references to visualization and thinking long term as the secrets to developing one's self discipline. The idea is to see beyond the immediate into the vista of decades into the future. To see yourself as already successful at your chosen focus then it is only a matter of taking the steps forward. The mountain is already there, just keep walking up.

Here I would like to make my plug to those who deal at all with children. As a teacher and lifelong slacker I believe it is of the utmost importance to instill a practiced and challenged sense of self discipline in children right from the start. Self discipline is a skill. It does not often come naturally. I work with and know many gifted people. I think it is with this population where discipline is the most deficient. It is because of their high ability that they never had a need to cultivate study habits or grueling hours practicing some instrument or sport. Push the people in your life to go beyond their comfort zone at least in the areas where they are the most motivated. Don't let them get distracted at the first obstacle they meet. By 'them' I mean me and you too. When I feel blocked in my business I always reach for some distraction: computer, guitar, food, the telephone, the laundry... I challenge myself to notice these pulls and stay just a little longer with the work. I also challenge myself to feel proud even when the work is less perfect than I planned.