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If you want to build self-discipline, you’d
do well to listen to the words of Marcus Aurelius.

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He was the emperor of Rome from 161 to 180
A.D. and is considered as last of the Five

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Good Emperors. During his rule, Aurelius found
the time to construct a series of autobiographical

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writings, now known as the Meditations. In
these writings, the Roman Emperor offered

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a number of key insights on how to be build
self-discipline. Here are 10 of the most important

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of those insights for self-discipline from
the writings of Marcus Aurelius.

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1. Self Discipline starts with finding your
purpose

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Marcus Aurelius says “I have to go to work — as
a human being. What do I have to complain

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of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the
things I was brought into the world to do?

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Or is this what I was created for? To huddle
under the blankets and stay warm?”

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Marcus Aurelius believed that we each have
a purpose; something that we were created

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for. It is our duty to carry out that purpose
because it is purpose that gets you out of

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bed each morning. If you have a clear understanding
of your goals and how your task fits within

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them, you are much more likely to complete
it.

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For example, say you have a flat tire and
need to change it. Your purpose is clear – change

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the tire as quickly as possible so you can
get on your way. You are going to do that

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task, no matter how tired you feel. The biggest
source of self-discipline is to have a reason

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to do the task.
If you don’t know what to do, just start.

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If you want to be a writer, write every day.
If you want to be an artist, draw and create

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every day. Anything you want to do, you don’t
need any more motivation or research or advice.

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You just start practicing something you’re
interested in and tackle every day as it comes

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because it is your purpose that will give
you an internal desire, drive, and motivation

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to propels you forward toward your goal. Self-discipline
is about finding compelling reasons to do

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something then committing yourself to see
that task or activity through to the very

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end.

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2. Count on yourself
According to Marcus Aurelius, you should “Turn

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your desire to stone. Quench your appetites.
Keep your mind centered on itself”

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After you have a solid purpose, It’s time
now to build a practical plan of action to

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help you accomplish your goal. You should’nt
just not commit to your goals but commit to

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all the little actions you will take along
the way in the pursuit of those goals. We

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must be fully committed to doing whatever
it takes to get the job done no matter what

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challenges get in the way.

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Self Discipline is the ability to get yourself
to take action—to do what you need to do—regardless

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of your physical, mental, or emotional state.
Everything you want in your life—everything

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you want to have, be, and do, depends on your
ability to get yourself to take the necessary

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actions to achieve your goals, whether you
feel like it or not.

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You can start with forming an effective plan
of action that is comprised of a deadline

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for accomplishing your goal. It must also
be built on the foundation of mini-milestones

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that break your goal down into manageable
chunks.

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Mini-milestones will ensure that you’re
working toward your desired outcome in small

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pieces and time blocks. This tactic puts you
in the driver’s seat. It gives you a sense

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of control over the tasks and projects you’re
working on.

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What you’re ultimately trying to avoid is
succumbing to being overwhelmed. Overwhelming

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can quickly digress to procrastination, and
procrastination can, subsequently, lead to

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stagnation. And, of course, where there is
stagnation, self-discipline cannot exist.

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3. Show up every day
Marcus Aurelius says “You must build up

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your life action by action, and be content
if each one achieves its goal as far as possible–and

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no one can keep you from this”.

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Even after having a solid purpose and a practical
plan, 95% of us fail to achieve our goals.

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We fail because we fail to be consistent.
We need to show up, every day, and put in

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the work. The simple act of showing up and
immersing yourself in your craft does wonders

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for mental endurance. You build focus and
come to terms with the arduous process that

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it takes to achieve anything great. You have
to put in countless hours of work before you

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reap any of the benefits. Self - Discipline
is nothing more but the habit of consistency

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– finding the motivation to do something
again and again, until you do it on autopilot

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and start seeing results. So even if you fail
once for example, if you didn’t exercise

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when you know you should have, this doesn’t
define your character. Your ability to keep

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going is what moulds you into a disciplined
and strong person. A bad day doesn’t have

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to become a bad week, a bad week doesn’t
have to become a bad year. The moment you

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wake up, remember that the new day is a new
life and move forward by opening your eyes

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and focusing on what’s in front of you,
which is life itself.

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4. Practice Voluntary Hardship
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “We should

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discipline ourselves in small things, and
from there progress to things of greater value.

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If you have a headache, practise not cursing.
Don’t curse every time you have an earache.

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And I’m not saying that you can’t complain,
only don’t complain with your whole being”

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Voluntary Hardship is one of the ways we can
build our self discipline. Voluntary hardship

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means constantly testing ourselves and by
making life routinely uncomfortable in some

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way, we are hardening ourselves for the day
we may need to live it for real. A voluntary

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hardship might be skipping a meal and going
hungry for a night, having a cold shower,

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not smoking, sleeping on the floor, leaving
your jacket at home when you know it’s cold

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and raining out or donating half of your clothes
to charity. You could choose to go without

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Social Media for a few days or throw your
Smart Phone in the drawer. Do it often enough

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and will you begin to understand what scarcity
and hardship feels like and that you can live

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with both if needed.

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5. Practice Dichotomy of Control
Marcus Aurelius says “You have power over

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your mind - not outside events. Realize this,
and you will find strength”

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Being distressed, being bothered by small
things instantly is terrible for discipline.

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You have a goal, you’re working and then
thoughts and distress about something external,

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meaning it’s out of your control, de-rails
you.

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The best thing you can do in these circumstances
is to apply Epictetus’ dichotomy of control.

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Reinforce to yourself what is within your
control and what is out of your control; if

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you embrace what’s out of your control and
accept it, you will experience tranquillity.

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Refer to the following wording next time you’re
distressed and distracted:

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Do you have a problem in your life?
No? ► Then don’t worry.

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Yes? ► Can you do something about it?…
Yes? ► Then don’t worry.

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No? ► Then don’t worry.

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6. Never Play the victim
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “Do your

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job, without whining”

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Have you said any of these? “I was just
born this way.” “I never learned anything

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different.” “My parents set a terrible
example.” “Everyone else does it.” What

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are these? Excuses that people use to justify
staying as they are instead of striving to

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become better.
You need to assume responsibility. The “why

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me?” mentality is an enemy to mental toughness.
You might not be at fault, but your life depends

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on you determining what’s within your control
and taking those things into your own hands.

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You must train yourself to frame these things
this way instead of immediately resorting

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to self pity. It’s certainly easier to pawn
off blame on others when something goes wrong.

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But only those with a degree of mental fortitude
are able to step up–even when it’s not

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their fault–and right the ship. Be that
person who steps in to take action, not the

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one who looks the other way and casts blame.
When you victimize yourself or your current

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position, you relinquish control and absolve
yourself of personal responsibility. And without

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a sense of ownership, meaningful progress
becomes an impossible task.

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7. Practice Delayed Gratification
In the words of Marcus Aurelius “So you

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were born to feel ‘nice’? Instead of doings
things and experiencing them? Don’t you

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see the plants, the birds, the ants and spiders
and bees going about their individual tasks,

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putting the world in order, as best they can?
And you’re not willing to do your job as

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a human being? Why aren’t you running to
do what your nature demands?”

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Delayed gratification involves the ability
to wait to get what you want. Imagine a company

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Christmas party when you encounter platters
of delicious and tempting foods when you are

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trying to lose weight. If you give in and
fill up your plate with fattening goodies,

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it might derail your diet, but you will get
to enjoy a bit of instant gratification.

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If you manage to resist and spend the evening
eating salad and munching on carrot sticks,

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then you will presumably receive an even greater
reward down the line — shedding those unwanted

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pounds and being able to fit into your favorite
pair of skinny jeans.

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This ability to resist temptation and stick
to our goals is often referred to as self

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discipline, and delaying gratification is
often seen as a central part of this behavior.

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We put off what we want now so that we can
perhaps get something else, something better,

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later on.

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8. Ignore Naysayers
Marcus Aurelius says “When another blames

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you or hates you, or people voice similar
criticisms, go to their souls, penetrate inside

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and see what sort of people they are. You
will realize that there is no need to be racked

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with anxiety that they should hold any particular
opinion about you”

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Whenever you step out from the norm, and declare
(even if only to yourself) that you believe

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that you have a special purpose in life, and
that you are going to do whatever it takes

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to achieve it, you will attract naysayers.
Naysayers are the people who criticize, objects

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to, or oppose something. The Naysayers just
love to say nay. They might love you, but

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they are afraid of progress so they are against
everything and their opinions are just terrible

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for your self discipline. You need to realise
that allowing yourself to be upset by the

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opinion of someone you don’t know or don’t
respect is as foolish as getting upset about

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the weather. It’s a waste of energy. Their
voice does not deserve to be heard. Don’t

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hand over your peace of mind to outsiders
to disrupt as they please. You should actively

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seek honest feedback from those you respect.
But if someone just has a history of being

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a naysayer, ignore them.

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9. Find Wise People to emulate
Marcus Aurelius says “It will even do to

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socialize with men of good character, in order
to model your life on theirs, whether you

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choose someone living or someone from the
past”

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It’s time now to look outward for answers
to help strengthen your self-discipline. Specifically,

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let’s identify role models. Your role models
could be your friends, family, colleagues

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who have already achieved the goal you are
working towards. Ask yourself:

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Who is doing this right now?
Who has successfully achieved this goal?

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Who has successfully mastered this habit?
Who has successfully made this change?

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Who has the necessary self-discipline in this
area?

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What can I learn from this person that can
help me along my journey?

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Take time to ask these people how they disciplined
themselves. Ask them how they followed through

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with specific actions that got them their
desired outcome. Then use their experience

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to help you discipline yourself along your
own personal journey.

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10. Honestly review your day

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In the words of Marcus Aurelius “These are
the characteristics of the rational soul:

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self-awareness, self-examination, and self-
determination. It reaps its own harvest. . . . It

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succeeds in its own purpose”.
One of the best ways to become more disciplined

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is to scrutinize yourself, and find your weak
spots. Be brutally honest and use this time

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to connect with your subconscious.
Practicing evening retrospections on a consistent

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basis will allow you to become more self-aware
through every step of your day because you

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will be actively gathering information to
formulate and articulate constructive answers

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to these questions.
Ask yourself,

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What did I do well today?
Where were my discipline and self-control

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tested, where did I do good?
What did I do bad, why did this occur? And

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Furthermore, how can I improve?
Now you know how you can improve tomorrow.

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But don’t beat yourself up. Be like Seneca
and forgive yourself. Have some self-compassion.

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Research shows that it’s forgiving yourself
— not beating yourself up — that prevents

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you from continuing to put things off. And
don’t just be critical of yourself. Think

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about what you did well so you can repeat
it tomorrow. Be grateful for the good that

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happened today.

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