There are many important factors to a Bamboo Farmer’s success, and self-discipline is at the top of the list. In other words, if you don’t water every day, there’s no way your bamboo grows.
“With self-discipline, most anything is possible.”
Giant Timber Bamboo can take up to five years to grow, and without self-discipline, there will be no results. I tell people that you should only water your bamboo when you feel like it, but you must feel like it every day. The skilled Bamboo Farmers that I know don’t water according to how they feel; they water according to their plan.
If you only went to the gym or ate vegetables when you felt like it, you would occasionally take action. Most people typically take action when they feel like it, but you are more likely to see results down the road if you stick to a watering plan. There’s a reason ice cream stands exist, and not broccoli stands - not many people feel like eating broccoli; they would rather have ice cream on an impulse. Being self-disciplined means you’ll eat the broccoli and put the ice cream aside.
Instead of checking emails and responding to the daily tasks thrown your way, if you were to work on projects to inch toward your goals over time, you’d be surprised what you can accomplish in the long term. But it takes self-discipline. It means doing the most challenging tasks first, even when you don’t feel like doing them.
If you’re ready to exercise your self-discipline muscle, here are a few strategies to implement:
1. Make sure you have a Bamboo Vision in Mind.
First, figure out what you’re trying to accomplish and determine what activities are needed to get you there. Break it down into daily, weekly, and monthly activities. You only get 168 hours a week to water your bamboo, and you should sleep about 60 of those hours, so plan out your activities with the time you have left. We get distracted by so many things, but we can stay on track with a plan. Use a calendar or a task management system to plan your watering activities.
“I meet my best friend and my worst enemy in the mirror when I wake up in the morning.”
2. Do the Hard Things First.
When I wake up, I get the most challenging things done first. If I do that, the rest of the day goes so much better because I know I have completed the activities that will get me closer to my goals. Start with the hardest things first if you want to have a good day.
“When the bamboo plant is in the ground, the bamboo plant doesn’t care how the Bamboo Farmer feels about it. It just needs nourishment; it needs the watering.”
3. Make Watering Fun.
Bamboo Farmers mentally trick themselves into making the watering fun. Something I do is a game called “21 minutes of fury.” I set a timer and work on something hard for 21 minutes. I turn off my phone and notifications for 21 minutes and go as hard as I can on my task for those 21 minutes. Sometimes that burst can carry me into another 21 minutes of fury or more! When you can gamify your watering, it is easy to take the momentum into other activities.
Self-discipline is truly the key to anyone’s success. If it helps me reach my goals, I know it can help you.
This post is based on a podcast episode by Greg Bell.
Listen below for the full episode: