Ultimate Secret to Discipline

There is no such thing as discipline. There is only love. You are the result of what you love most. You either love finely etched muscular abs more than doughnuts, or you love doughnuts more than having washboard abs that you could do your laundry on. It’s as simple as that.

Don’t beat yourself up about having no discipline and further drown yourself in a sea of refined carbs. Just admit that you like crappy food more than you love strength. Or ask yourself, What do I really love?

Self-esteem is the reflection of self-judgment. One of the best ways to raise self-esteem is to make truly loving choices that lead to increased strength of body and mind. For example, if you truly love yourself in the gym, you choose the full squat with chains over the leg extension machine.

At the restaurant, if you truly love yourself, you pass on the heavenly smelling basket of bread and creamy butter and ask for some more limes for the water so you can further alkalize yourself, which helps your bones and muscles and your ability to deal with cortisol, a hormone that works against building muscle.

When you’re facing difficult choices, ask yourself—in context, of course—What would the expert acting as a loving parent recommend? For example, when working chest, would a loving strength coach recommend the pec deck or full-range dumbbell bench presses? Another example: When choosing desserts, would the loving nutritionist recommend a bowl of berries or the triple-decker brownie submerged in vanilla ice cream?

Here’s how to free yourself from the outdated concept of discipline:

1) Accept that all of your choices are reflections of what you truly love.

2) Love is the greatest creative force in the universe. Use it wisely.

3) Choose to love yourself more than external things.

4) Treat yourself outstandingly well to accelerate the growth of your self-esteem.

5) When people comment on your results and say things like, “Wow, you have a lot discipline,” answer, “No, I just make loving choices for myself.” Reinforcing your own positive behavior will make you grow in strength.

6) What you appreciate appreciates. Whenever you make a truly loving choice, say to yourself, “Oh, thank you for taking care of me in a loving way.” The more you talk to yourself like a loving parent, the faster you will grow. Let’s say, for example, that you just did a single on the squat with a load you did not feel like doing but still did. Say, “Wow! I’m impressed with your strength of mind; that’s why you’re a champion.” If you document and reward your success, it will grow in magnitude and frequency.

Whenever I meet a goal, I reward myself with positive things like a vacation or a new piece of equipment. When I get something better, I make the choice of giving away the old piece to someone who will appreciate it. Living a clutter-free life makes for more growth.

7) The more you believe in yourself, the more objectively you’ll be able to analyze the advice of authority figures.

8) “Use your faults” was French singer Edith Piaf’s motto. I don’t like to stretch athletes—too time-consuming, requires too much energy. À la Piaf, I developed a system that uses myriad body-work techniques, such as acupressure points that instantly increase flexibility. No wonder it has always been the fastest-selling course we offer.

There is an old Hindu saying: “The world is as we are.” Are you tired of seeing obese people around you? Start by changing yourself—be the change you want to see the world make. IM