Discipline is an interesting term, it is one of those words that we hear often but find hard to define. In this book, when we use the word “discipline,” we are not referring to the type of punishment that a subordinate is given by his or her superior due to undesirable actions. We are referring to “self discipline” and we define it as “the ability to do things which you know you should be doing, things which will help you reach your goals, though you would prefer to be doing something else.”
For example, if a high school student has an upcoming chemistry exam, and he knows he needs to study on Friday night, but suddenly he gets a phone call from his friends asking him to come to a party instead, if this student goes to the party and disregards his studies, he is said to be “undisciplined.” If he instead turns down the offer, and studies as he knows he should, then he is said to have discipline. While this description of discipline may sound overly simplistic, it forms the primary line which divides those who succeed as freelancers from those who fail.
Before you begin developing the skills which are necessary for you to succeed in your field of choice, we highly recommend you become disciplined first, because if you do not, you may waste time, money, and energy pursuing a career that you don't have the discipline to excel at. A good analogy of this is the person who, after seeing a commercial advertising exercise equipment, realizes they need to get in shape, and they decide to go out and purchase the equipment. Though they have the money for the equipment, they often lack the discipline, and what happens is that money is wasted on exercise equipment that is never used, equipment that sits in the basement collecting dust. If you're like most people, you probably know of at least one person who falls under this category, because I sure do.
The point I'm making is that you must have the proper mindset before you begin developing your skills. One strategy that we recommend in order to become more disciplined is to begin exercising if you're not already doing so. If you already exercise, and you do it on a set schedule each week, then you're probably already very disciplined, and you have the mental fortitude which is necessary to begin developing your skills as a freelancer. If you don't exercise, we advise you to put together a schedule and stick to it. Not only will you become physically healthier and stronger, but you will develop mental discipline as well, a key component in developing your freelance skills.
Developing freelance skills won't be easy; there will be times when you will become frustrated and think of quitting. But you don't want to become a quitter, because quitters are losers, and you will never achieve the goals you've set for yourself in life. You will want to pace yourself and do a little every day, and before you know it, you will be as sharp as a razor blade. It will be at this point where you will be ready to go out and begin doing jobs for others.
Each human on this planet is different, and no two individuals are alike. This is especially true when it comes to learning. Some people learn better by listening, while others learn better by watching, and there are still some that learn best by doing. When preparing to develop your career as a freelancer, it is critical to become aware of the learning style which is best suited to you. Once you have this information, it will allow you to become skilled within a short period of time. It is always critical to remember that time is everything, and because we live in the Information Age, time is always of the essence. You do not want to take a long time picking up your skills; in later chapters, we give you a general time frame for how long it should take for your skills to be developed.
While it is unwise to try to learn everything at once, you must move relatively quickly. Discipline is the key factor which will define your success or failure as a freelancer. The reality is that many people in this world don't have the discipline which is necessary in order to achieve success.