We all know that the “self-help” industry is one big sham, right? So why do we keep falling for their tricks and games? Why do we still give them our money and look towards them for answers? Perhaps we need to dig a little deeper and find the root of the issue.

I too have fallen victim to the dreams, hopes and “life-changing” solutions sold by the self-help industry. From the fictitious and borderline supernatural “think and grow rich” to the trance-inducing charms of Bob Proctor and Tony Robbins. I was sucked into the realm of hope, motivation and “positive thinking”, only to find myself wasting money and time while ending up further away from my goals than when I had originally started.

As a young adult, exploring the world of business and success was a large part of my late teens and early-to-mid-twenties. I had discovered the self-help section of books on Amazon and put hundreds of pounds into what I convinced myself was an investment. It took a while to finally see the recurring methods, anecdotes and the same old “success stories”. They only wanted to motivate. They only cared about making me “feel good” and in turn, they would feel good themselves.

Naturally, with anything that fails to bring long-term results after some time, one would begin exploring different avenues and methods to attain whatever they have in mind. I knew I had to find a solution, or develop some sort of psychological awakening to understand this mess we call life, the expectations others had of me and most importantly, the expectations I had of myself.

Long story short, in the last few months especially, I came to a realisation – a kind of awakening. I don’t need expectations, clear-cut goals and visualisations of the future, motivation or some “positive thinking” malarkey. What I need is knowledge of what needs to be done (according to the lifestyle I wish to live), and discipline.

This can quickly sound like a motivational post, but it isn’t.

Muhammad Ali hated training, but he became the greatest boxer in the history of the sport and one of the most famous and inspirational people the world has ever known. He wasn’t motivated. He was disciplined. He knew what needed to be done and made sure it was.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would get off the plane after travelling halfway across the world, and regardless of the time or if he had been awake for two consecutive days, he would hit the gym and put the work in. He doesn’t care about how he feels. He will put the work in because he knows he has to. Anywhere in the world. That’s discipline.

Many authors and artists would have daily targets they met religiously. Perhaps a word count target isn’t the best, but more along the lines of a daily minimum. Some would have a target word count, others a timeframe of perhaps 2-3 hours a day. Some would get up and put 3 hours towards their craft in the morning before leaving their homes for work.

The fact is, all these artists, writers, sportspeople etc. didn’t and don’t search for motivation, nor do they rely on positive thinking, nor do they live their lives visualising the future. They all have/had one thing in common: discipline.

Ask anyone who was overweight and got into shape what their secret is and they’ll tell you it’s discipline.

Ask any prolific artist or author or content creator what their secret is and they’ll tell you it’s discipline.

Characteristically, they don’t care about how they feel about working or training or writing or creating on any given day. They simply do it.

Think about the last time you did or didn’t do something you knew you had to. Did the way you felt at that moment influence you when deciding to do it or not? Most likely, yes.

I’ve noticed people call discipline many things, from hard work to consistency to intense desire. But what they all have in common is the inherent disregard of feelings. They simply feel the fear and do it anyway.

Man, after years of searching for shortcuts and magical methods for “success”, as with anything and everything in life, I realise there is no such thing.

The only proven, tested and tried method… is discipline.