Day 170: On Supply and Deman
d
Supply and demand: the more people do something, the less valuable it is.
An often-overlooked benefit of self-discipline is that it’s a rare trait. Consequently, it makes you a more valuable employee when compared to your lazy colleagues, a more respected boss when compared to a boss who demands a lot from others but not from themselves, or a more trustworthy business partner when compared to a person who doesn’t mind cutting corners.
Since self-discipline is so hard to attain, there will always be more demand than supply. This can indirectly lead to more opportunities and a better financial situation.
If you still find it hard to resist temptations, emotions often get the best of you, and you can’t overcome the allure of instant gratification, try to give self-discipline a monetary value.
The fact that you’re becoming more productive (thanks to more self-discipline) increases your chances of being promoted at work. More self-discipline means that you’ll improve more quickly at a skill that you plan to monetize soon. And if you’re an entrepreneur, it directly affects how much income you generate.
It probably sounds ridiculous to suggest that you can become a more self-disciplined person by linking self-discipline with higher income, but can you deny that money is a powerful motivator for many people
?
If I were to give you $100,000 if you eliminated three bad habits from your life, I’m pretty sure that no matter how many times you had failed to get rid of them before, this time you’d succeed.
Think of self-discipline in the same category as any other skill or credential you could list on your resume or in a sales brochure. It doesn’t cost anything (other than your time and energy) to develop this ability, and the return on this investment can be higher than any other lucrative endeavor you might pursue.