Hello everyone and welcome back to the
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Simple English podcast. I'm your host
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Lisa and today we're diving into a topic
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that honestly we all need to hear about.
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Now before you think, "Oh no, discipline
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means boring rules and no fun." Hold on.
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What if I told you that discipline is
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actually the secret key to freedom,
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success, and even happiness in life?
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>> That's right, Lisa. Discipline is not
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about punishing yourself or living like
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a robot. It's about building small
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habits and routines that keep you moving
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in the right direction, whether that's
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at work, in school, or even in your
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>> Exactly. And let me ask you listeners,
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have you ever made a New Year's
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resolution? Maybe to work out more,
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learn English every day, or stop
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procrastinating, but after 2 weeks, you
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Oh, I think everyone has done that,
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Lisa. I know I have.
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>> Me, too. And that's why this episode is
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so exciting. We're going to break down
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how you can actually stay disciplined
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even when motivation disappears because
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trust me, motivation is temporary, but
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discipline is what keeps you going long
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So, if you're someone who struggles to
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stick with your goals, or you just want
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to improve your daily routines,
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By the end of this episode, you'll have
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clear strategies to become more
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disciplined and consistent.
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Perfect. Let's jump in. As always, don't
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forget to check out the free PDF file in
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the comment section below to get the
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full transcript and vocabulary for this
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So Tony, let's start simple. How would
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you define discipline in everyday life?
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For me, discipline is doing what you
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need to do even when you don't feel like
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It's not about being perfect. It's about
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For example, if you decide to wake up at
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6:30 a.m. to exercise,
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discipline is what makes you actually
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get out of bed when that alarm rings
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instead of hitting snooze 10 times.
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>> Oh, wow. I feel personally attacked by
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the snooze button example, but you're
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right. It's easy to say, "I'll do it
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tomorrow." But discipline means you do
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>> And here is the important thing.
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Discipline is like a muscle. You don't
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build it overnight. You have to train it
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slowly, step by step.
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>> That's such a good point. A lot of
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people think discipline is only for
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athletes, soldiers, or super successful
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CEOs. But honestly, it's for everyone. A
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mom who prepares healthy meals for her
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kids, a student who studies even when
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friends are out partying, or even
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someone who simply makes their bed every
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morning. That's discipline, too.
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Yes. And discipline gives you freedom.
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It sounds strange, right? Because most
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people think discipline is about
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restriction. But if you're disciplined
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with your money, you have financial
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freedom later. If you're disciplined
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with your health, you can enjoy life
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>> That's powerful.
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So, let's talk about some strategies.
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What's the first practical way someone
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can start building discipline?
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Number one, start small. People fail
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because they start too big. For example,
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someone says, "I'll go to the gym every
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day for 2 hours." But they haven't
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exercised in years. Of course, after 3
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days, they give up.
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>> Right. It's like trying to climb a
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mountain in one step. Impossible.
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>> Exactly. Instead, start with something
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small, like a 10-minute walk every day.
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When that becomes easy, add more. Small
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steps build momentum. And momentum
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creates discipline.
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I actually started a morning routine
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last year by just drinking a glass of
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water after waking up.
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That one tiny action gave me a sense of
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accomplishment and it slowly grew into a
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full routine with journaling and
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>> That's a perfect example.
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>> Okay, so step one is to start small.
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>> Step two, build routines and systems.
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Relying on motivation doesn't work
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because motivation comes and goes. But
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if you have a system like always going
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to the gym right after work or always
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writing your to-do list before bed, you
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don't waste energy deciding. You just
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>> Yes. I heard a quote. You don't rise to
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the level of your goals. You fall to the
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level of your systems.
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For example, if you want to study
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English every day, create a system.
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Maybe you listen to this podcast while
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you cook dinner. It becomes automatic,
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part of your routine instead of a big
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decision every day.
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>> That's such a good tip. Systems make
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discipline easier because you don't have
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to argue with yourself every time.
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What about dealing with distractions?
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Because honestly, my phone is my biggest
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enemy when I try to focus.
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>> Oh, that's a huge one. Step three is
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remove temptations.
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Discipline is not only about willpower.
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If your environment is full of
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distractions, you'll lose.
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>> So true. Like if I keep cookies in my
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kitchen, I will eat them. No question.
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So don't just rely on self-control.
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Make it easy to be disciplined. Put your
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phone in another room while working.
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Delete apps that waste your time.
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Prepare your gym clothes the night
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before. Small changes in your
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environment can make discipline much
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>> I like that. Set yourself up for
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Another thing I find helpful is telling
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someone about my goals. Does
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accountability help with discipline?
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>> Yes, absolutely. Step four,
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accountability. Humans are social
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creatures. When someone else knows your
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goal, you're more likely to stick with
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it. For example, if you promise your
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friend you'll meet them at the park for
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a run, you won't skip it, even if you
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>> Yes, that's why workout buddies are so
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powerful. You don't want to disappoint
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>> And nowadays, you can use social media
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or apps for accountability.
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Share your progress online or join a
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group with similar goals. It's harder to
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quit when others are cheering you on or
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>> Now, here's something fun. Do rewards
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help with discipline?
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Step five, reward your progress.
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But here's the key. The reward should
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support your goal, not destroy it.
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For example, if you eat healthy for a
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week, maybe reward yourself with a movie
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night, not a whole cake.
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>> Yes, balance. I also find that just
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tracking progress, like crossing off
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days on a calendar, feels like a reward.
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It's satisfying to see the streak.
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That's a psychological trick. Our brains
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love to see progress. And when you
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celebrate small wins, you train your
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mind to enjoy discipline instead of
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>> Can you share a real life example of how
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discipline changed someone's life?
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>> Sure. One of my friends wanted to learn
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guitar. At first, he was so motivated,
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but after two weeks, he lost interest.
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So instead of quitting, he changed his
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system. just 10 minutes of practice
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every night before bed. It sounded
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small, but he did it every single day.
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After six months, he could play songs
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fluently. Now he performs at local
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>> That's inspiring. And it shows that
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discipline beats talent when talent
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All right, Tony, let's take a quick
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break from the heavy talk. Time for some
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fun facts and quick tips.
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>> Sounds good. Did you know that the word
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discipline comes from the Latin word
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disciplus which means student?
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So originally discipline wasn't about
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punishment. It was about learning and
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>> Wow, that changes the way we see it.
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Discipline is not a punishment. It's
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training yourself to grow.
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>> Exactly. And here are some quick tips
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Use the 5-minut rule. If a task feels
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too big, just do it for 5 minutes.
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Usually, once you start, you'll keep
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going. Stack habits. Attach a new habit
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to an old one. For example, after
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brushing your teeth, practice 5 minutes
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of English. Plan for failure. Don't
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expect perfection. If you miss a day,
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don't quit. Just get back on track the
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Visual reminders. Put sticky notes on
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your desk or fridge with your goals.
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Seeing them daily keeps you disciplined.
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Celebrate small wins.
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Even a small step forward is progress
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Those are so practical. Honestly, I
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think I'm going to start using the
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5-minut rule right away.
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So, Tony, to wrap this up, what's the
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main message about discipline that you
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want our listeners to take away? I'd say
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this. Discipline is not about being
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perfect or living without joy. It's
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about creating habits and systems that
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help you move toward the life you want.
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Start small, be consistent, and remember
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that discipline is a skill anyone can
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>> That's powerful. And I'd add, don't wait
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for motivation. Motivation will fade,
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but discipline is what will carry you
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through the hard days.
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>> Yes. And remember, every small act of
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discipline builds your future.
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>> Beautifully said.
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Well, thank you so much, Tony, for
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sharing your insights today. I think our
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listeners are leaving with some powerful
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strategies to become more disciplined in
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It was great being here.
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>> And to our listeners, thank you for
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tuning in to the Simple English Podcast.
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If you found this episode helpful,
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please give it a thumbs up, subscribe to
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the channel, and share it with a friend
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who might need a little boost in
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>> And remember, discipline is not about
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doing everything perfectly. It's about
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doing the right things consistently.
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>> Absolutely. Until next time, stay
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consistent, stay disciplined, and keep
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growing. Bye, everyone.
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Okay everyone, it's time to learn some
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important vocabulary related to the
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topic. The first word of today is
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discipline. It means the practice of
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training yourself to follow rules,
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routines or habits in order to achieve
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goals or maintain order.
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Example, learning a new language
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requires discipline and consistency
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every day. The next word is consistency.
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It means the quality of always behaving
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or performing in a similar way over
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time. Example, success comes from
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consistency, not from short bursts of
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effort. The next word is routine. It
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means a regular and repeated way of
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doing things often daily.
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Example, I added meditation to my
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morning routine to stay focused and
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calm. The next word is willpower. It
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means the strong ability to control your
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own actions and resist temptations.
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Example, it takes willpower to wake up
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early and exercise instead of sleeping
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in. The last word is accountability.
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It means being responsible for your
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actions and goals, often by sharing them
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Example, joining a study group gave me
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accountability to keep practicing
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